Captured and trapped
by sweetest angel
Summary: Kagome woke up in a cell...and not alone. Will she survive her ordeal? Will she be able to escape? SessKag pairing. Rating for later chapter. Sorry, bad summary. * NEW chapter OUT!*
1. Chapter 1 : Where am I ?

Captured and Trapped.

Hello everyone !

This story will be in two part with in part one 'Captured and trapped'. If when I will finish the first part you don't like it then, I don't know, may be I will not do a second one. They can be totally independent so don't worry ! But actually, I like the second one really more but I can't do it without the first one before ! The things that would happen in the second part depends of some events of the part 1. So…

Hope you will enjoy it !

**I wanted to thank Theresa or "**_** beagoodboysess **_**", for her help and beta work on this chapter. Thanks a lot! bow**

_Thoughts_

Disclaimer : I don't own InuYasha. Nah, I say it, so let me be. :P

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**Chapter 1 : where am I ?**

A raven-haired young woman layed there, on the cold ground. She woke up and groaned pitifully. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Everything was dark and for a moment, she couldn't see a thing. The young miko from the future tried to move and managed to remove herself from the soil. She, with some difficulties and a few tentative efforts,sat up. Where was she?

………………

All her muscles were sore asif she had run a Marathon just a few minutes ago or something. Which she was sure, she hadn't.

She really hadno idea of what hadhappened to her or how she ended up in this poor physical condition. Nope, no idea. Kagome tried to clear her foggy mind. She hurt everywhere and had noidea where she was.

When her eyes were a little more focused and hadadjusted to the dim light in there, wherever'there' was, she tried to identifythis unknown point. How was she supposed to dothat? She sighed. She was in some verydeep shit andwinced at her own thought. It seemed that she was around the foul-mouthed hanyou a little too much, and he was starting to rub off on her.Hm. Figures.If her mother or grandfather could hear her at the moment. She shivered. Better not think about it. Her mother was really sweet and kind hearted but she had an aberration for swearing. Which was funny since she love InuYasha. That must be the ears. Yes, definitely the ears.

She took a look at herself. She could see that she had some cuts here and there but nothing life-threatening. Thanks Kami. She must have been out for some time because when she passed her slighty shaking hands over the injuries she had on her legs, the blood was dry. However, what really made Kagome anxious was her head. Yeah, her head hurt like hell. As if a truck passed over her, at least a couple of times. Plus, she had a headache which could easily pin an elephant on his knees.

Delicately, she passed one hand through her hair and came in contact with something that felt like a bump- where she was hurting the most. She winced in pain. But there was something else. It was little sticky and moist. She brought her fingers in front of her to examine them. The 'sticky thing' was nothing else than…blood. _Great. Just great. Now, she knew someone must have knocked her out and hit her. Pretty hard, she should add, if her throbbing head was any evidence. And, that someone must have put her there_. Hm. _Nice analysis Sherlock_. Geez, she was even mocking herself, no need for InuYasha to do that it seemed. No, not at all. She sighed. But she couldn't just sit there and wait for the young hanyou to come free her. A new determination arose in her. She would show him that she was not that hopeless. Hm. Yes, she would do just that.

Even if her head hurt like hell just sitting. She felt light-head. She tried to figure out where she was. She could see a door. So she was in a cell. Ok. She looked around puzzled. But the wall didn't look like it was built but more like it was dug directly into the stone. Plus, there wasn't any other light except for the few torches on the wall, no window. At least, they were kind enough to put some light inside here... Yeah, right. Everyone believes that.

So, her cell was in a cave. Ok. But that didn't really help her situation! She sighed, again. A noise suddenly came from behind her and she froze. May be, she wasn't alone in her cell after all… What if this person wasn't a friendly fellow prisoner ? At this moment, she almost hit herself for her own stupidity. If this other person were 'hostile'; one, she should have inspected her cell as soon she woke up and two, he or she would have already attacked her. _Ok, get a grip Kagome, the only way to know is to turn around and see for your self. Quite easy, right? Right._ She tried desperately to reassure herself. Hm. A pitiful job, if you want my opinion.

_**So why aren't you moving ?**_A little voice in the back of her head mocked. She groaned and slowly started to turn around.

At first, she couldn't see exactly what was there. And she heard the sound again, like before. That sounded like…like _chains!_ Yes, the other person in the cell with her must be chained. But why was this person chained, and she wasn't ? _Did they think that she was so helpless that it wasn't even worth chaining her to prevent her from attacking the people who were currently keeping her in a moist and smelly cell ? Did they have a little conversation with her hanyou friend?! Just for thinking so lowly of her, she should purify them to Hell, and she would do that really slowly and painfully. They let her be almost free as if they thought she wasn't any more threatening than a little bunny ! _Stop.

_Wait a second, where did this 'bunny' thing came from ?! _

_Maybe it was due to the cave-burrow-cell thing? That must be it… Or she was going insane or the bump on her head was worse than she had first thought. Hm. And why was she angry at not being chained like some animal ?? She should be grateful. _Then, she heard the sound of moving chains again.

She looked more attentively and got back on her feet, with some difficulty because legs were shaking. But after two attempts, she succeeded. Good thing InuYasha wasn't there to see her now. She could hear him already. How pathetic and weak she was, and all …Yeah, it was a good thing he wasn't here and now there was just the hope the he would be in the near future to get her out of this mess.

When she was more or less steady on her feet, she took some slow steps forward. Now, she could see a little more clearly and saw something silver. Her first thought : _InuYasha !_ However, she stopped herself when she saw white too. She gulped. _No, the Kami couldn't be that cruel! This must be a really bad joke! No, she couldn't be alone in a cell with…_Then the chained man, or youkai in this case, raised his head, and she came face to face with deep golden eyes. She "eep"-ed and fell on her butt in surprise.

Yeah, no doubt now. She was alone, in a cell, almost in the dark, alone, (she did say that already, right ?) with the most deadly and powerful youkai walking in Japan. Yep, she was doomed. Totally screwed. She tried to reassure herself with the fact that he was chained…_Yeah, right. As if that was enough to calm her! She was as good as dead._ That's why they hadn't chained her: because, not if, but WHEN he releases himself, that would not have been funny enough if he killed her when she was chained too. Too easy. Not that that would have changed anything in the matter, mind you. It would end in the same way : Her. Being. Dead.

But still, it was at least the principle. Sigh.

Not wanting to stay on her butt all day in front of the ' killing perfection', she got up on her legs. A sentence was repeated time and time again in her mind : _I'm not a coward, I'm not a coward…_

_**Yep, try to convince yourself…If you can, chicken,**_ said a little voice in the back of her head. Do you know what I am talking about? This little annoying voice in the back of your head that always seems to mock you when you are in up to your neck in shit but can never raise a finger to help you? Yeah, you see now, exactly that voice. But Kagome suffocated it.

So, slowly and as silently possible, she walked closer to him. She was crazy. Yep, definitely crazy, but she could clearly see his flowing blood, a lot of blood. Even if her little inner voice whispered to her to remember the proverb who said that an injured animal is really dangerous, and he could attack her. She didn't listen to it. _What is this voice, anyway ?_ No answer. _Hm._ They must have hit her even more violently than she had thought. Maybe she was becoming insane! _Too late for that._ She almost chuckled at her own teasing. Yep, absolutely crazy. Hope it is not permanent.

She turned her attention back to the chained youkai in front of her. Things were bothering her while she looked at the fallen angel. Besides the fact that someone succeeded in capturing the demon Lord of the West, what she thought was impossible, since he was the most powerful demon alive she knew, something else caught her eye. And that was his own eyes. They were as golden-honey as ever, as cold as ever too, but something was not right. Then, it clicked in her poor troubled and injured mind. _They weren't moving!_ He was staring right in front of him. Not really looking at her, not even blinking, as if… As if he couldn't see her!

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End of the chapter 1

(grin) So what do you think? You know what to do, right? Good. So review review review, thanks. Later,

Sweetest Angel


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She looked more closely. She saw that his eyes seemed puffy and there was red around them as if they were irritated. _Maybe they blinded him in order to capture him ?_ Most likely. They must have done something to be able to capture him…After all, he was the all mighty demon Lord of the West! How could that ever happen to someone as powerful as him?

She passed a hand in front of his face slowly and not too close. Hey, you can never be too careful! But he didn't even blink. _Yep, he must be blind. Hm. _Another thing that was currently troubling the young Miko, was that he didn't react at all at her proximity. I mean, he was a youkai, a DaiYoukai, and they had superior senses and all, so he should have been able to smell or hear her or something. But nothing. Strange. She passed her hand in front of his eyes again, more rapidly. This time, she gained a reaction and almost jumped out of her skin, and reflexively, took several steps back. His eyes had moved! Even so, they weren't focusing on her, just looking everywhere else. After some reflection, Kagome deduced that he must have felt the movement of the air she'd created with her hand. At least, it seemed like his sense of touch was still working. Hm.

Wanting to prove her previous theory and being rather bold even in the situation she was in, she came just in front of him again. For now, she knew that something wasn't right with his eyes and apparently his nose too, or he would have reacted to her close proximity. He was a dog after all…sort of. So, he had a strong sense of smell, surely way more powerful than InuYasha's. She must confirm her suspicion. She knew she was playing with fire. Even chained to the wall, she better not anger the demon Lord. No, not a healthy thing to do. But her curiosity was too powerful.

« Sesshomaru. » she called softy. He didn't move, nothing to prove that he'd heard her. Consequently, she tried again, but this time way more forcefully. She yelled. « Sesshomaru !! »

This time, the response was almost instantaneous. A low threatening growl arose in the back of his throat. She "eep"-ed and … Fell back on her rear. _It was getting old_. She was sore all over, her head was hurting, it was enough, right ? No, she had to play with a mortally dangerous demon, who was still an enemy to her or at least InuYasha's enemy the last time she checked, just a companion in a cell and made him angry. Yep, they must have hit her too powerfully or maybe she was turning suicidal, playing with fire like that.

« Do not come any closer, whoever you are. » Came the slightly throatily cold voice of the lord of the West. Even from her position, on the ground, she could see that speaking was hurting him. What did they do to him? His voice was so… so not like him. I mean, usually ok his voice was really, really cold but always a sort of silky cold, if you see what I mean ? Now, it was like speaking was scraping his throat raw. She felt almost sorry for him._ He must really be hurting_.

On another hand, anger rose inside her. She was of course frightened, who wouldn't be in her position, but she had a feeling of indignation too. Did he have to speak to her with so much venom? It wasn't like she was the one who'd put him in here!

Then, for the umpteenth time since she woke up in the smelly and moist cell, she had the urge to hit herself. Of course he spoke coldly, I meant colder than usually, he mustn't have know who was there in front of him. _**Good Guess dumb-dumb**__**, he said so himself ! **_Hm. Again this stupid voice. Arr.

_He must assume that one of their captors had come inside the cell and since nothing besides his hearing seemed to work slightly…It was a normal reaction_.

So, she decided to leave him alone for now. She would go back to trying to speak to him when he was in a better…mood. If you admit that he could be in a good mood. Hm. She didn't like to see people suffer but for now, she knew that she couldn't do anything for him. He will just kill her if she came too close now that he knew someone was with him. Ally or enemy. If you took in consideration that he could consider someone an ally…

She suddenly felt really tired and her head was really throbbing more and more. She decided to leave him alone for now and went to sit down at the opposite side of the cell, close to the place she woke up not so long ago.

……………….

Since she didn't have anything else to do that was more important at the moment, she tried to remember how she came to find herself in this absolute mess. The last thing she remembered was… leaving the shrine for the Feudal Era. Yep, that was it. She remembered now.

She was even coming back two days before planned.

She came back in her time because some cousin she hadn't seen since she was still in diapers invited her and all her family to her wedding. The problem was that she wasn't living close to the shrine. In order to be present for the marriage, she needed three days: the first for the travel there, the second, the day of the ceremony and the third, to come back home. Yes, three or four days, that was all she'd asked.

Of course, InuYasha wasn't seeing things her way. He had the nerves to forbid her to go to her cousin's wedding! Grrr!! Just thinking about it made her angry. Insufferable jerk! So, of course, a dispute exploded between the hanyou and the young Miko.

That time though, Sango and Miroku tried to make InuYasha understand the reason. It was a really important ceremony in a family, and she must be present in order to honor it. However, the stubborn hanyou didn't want to see that. He was just seeing that they would have to stop the quest of jewel shards for a few days and that for him, was out of question. They yelled and yelled…

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« InuYasha stop being a stubborn jerk! I have to go!! » Screamed the young human woman-child in the green and white uniform.

They had stopped for the night in a little clearing, after having walked all day without a pause. Kagome was preparing the diner, boiling some water to prepare some ramen, when she decided that she had to say, to our famous temperamental hanyou, that she had to be away for a few days. Since she came back from her time, two weeks ago, she was trying to find a way to tell InuYasha the necessity of her departure to the future to be there for her cousin's ceremony. Maybe she didn't find the best way to say it to him after all, since they were now screaming at each other. She was tired from their travel and others things, physically and mentally, she was hungry, she was dirty... To continue, she was feeling like shit and fighting against InuYasha wasn't what she had wished to do this night.

« No, you don't. You will stay right here and do the only thing that is important for you to do : detect shards! » InuYasha yelled back harshly.

« So, is that it?! For you, I'm just a shard detector?!? » She said, anger burning in her veins and uncapable this time at hiding her hurt at his words.

InuYasha hesitated a second, _what to do, what to do_… But he couldn't let her go to her time, so he screamed. « O-of course, you pathetic, useless, weak, human wench!! »

« What!!!!! » She yelled, outraged. Now, that was really hurting her. _So I'm just a shard detector for him, not even a friend_. Tears started to swell up in her eyes. Miroku approached her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Nothing lecherous for once. Now, you could tell that the situation was grave.

At this moment, the demon slayer stopped polishing her boomerang and jumped up on her feet. « That's it. InuYasha if you don't close your big mouth full of shit right now, I will do it for you!!! »

« Are you threatening me now, Sango? » He said, growling low.

« Yeah, I am! We are all tired of your comportment. Kagome-chan does everything in our group and askes for very little. She doesn't really want to go to that wedding in the first place and… » She started to cry, her weapon in hand.

« Then, she will not go, and she will be happy! » He answered back, crossing his arms on his chest, praising himself mentally for his quick and intelligent repartee.

The anger that was currently boiling in her veins was making her see red now. Kagome left Miroku's side and walked towards the hanyou. « You insufferable jerk! I already said that I don't particularly wish to go but I HAVE TO GO!!! Can't you understand that?! Due to you and these stupid jewel shards, dishonor has already fallen on my family because I'm failing school and will not go to a university! I have to go! All my family has been invited, I can't cancel! »

« Of course you can! You just don't go!! And you will not go! We have more shards to find! That's final.»

Miroku decided that he had to intervene. He knew that Kagome wasn't right those days and their stubborn friend wasn't helping at all. « InuYasha, calm down. You have to understand that a marriage is an important ceremony in a family, Kagome-sama has to go. »

« So now you are all siding against me ! » Looking at them all as if they just stabbed him in his back.

Like always, the houshi tried to calm the already really tense problem. « We are not against you InuYasha. You have to try to understand the delicate position Lady Kagome is in right now. She has no choice but to go. It's her family. »

« I don't care!!! She will not go! » Crossing his arms again and turning his nose up, showing that for him the discussion was finished.

« InuYasha, you stupid baka! » For the first time the little orphan kitsune spoke. « because you don't have a member of your family who wants you, doesn't mean that Kagome has to lose hers! »

« Shippo! » Said Kagome, surprised by the venom in his words.

« What did you say, runt?! » Yelled the hanyou between clenched teeth, preparing himself to pounce on the kit. However, he was interrupted when Sango spoke again.

« No, Kagome-chan, he is right. InuYasha is always a selfish moron with you. He never lets you visit your family without a fight and now that something has come up and your family's honor is in line he is still playing the selfish jerk and won't let you go!»

InuYasha was seeing red. They were all behind the young Miko from the future but most importantly, against him. So he hit where he knew it would hurt… « She will not go! She has work to do, and we don't have time to waste with her visiting her time! If it was Kikyo… »

Sango was literally shaking from her anger and cut off his speech. « InuYasha, don't you even dare to speak about that clay bitch here, or it will be the last thing you do! And it's not a threat it's a promise. » She turned around. « Come, Kagome, I will take you to the well. »

Kagome couldn't take anything more. It was too much. Now, she was blinking furiously as not to let her tears fall. She would not let the hanyou see how much he had hurt her. She wouldn't give him that pleasure. So, she did the only thing she could besides cutting him in half with his own sword. « OSWARI!!! Oh and InuYasha, not three days but a week! Sit! sit! SIT BOY!!! »

« Wench… » Came from the crater where InuYasha was currently occupying.

« Why can't you understand the importance of my presence at this ceremony? How can you ask me to turn my back on my own family? The same family that had opened their arms for you? I… » She couldn't stop them anymore. Her tears were now running freely down her cheeks.

He raised his head slightly from the ground just in time to see the hurtful face of his Miko friend. Now, he was feeling like shit. He just didn't want her to leave. He didn't want to make her cry. His heart clench. « K-kagome… »

However, she climbed on to Kirara and flew away. The moment he could, InuYasha jumped on his feet and looked in the direction she'd disappeared in a few seconds ago. « I… Feh. »

But this time, it didn't end there, InuYasha felt something hit him hard on his head. He turned around and saw Miroku with his staff in hand.

« Why did you do that Monk! »

The normally calm and composed houshi literally exploded. « How can you be asking me that, InuYasha ?! Did you have any idea what you have done ? »

« What are you talking about bozo ? It's not like it is the first dispute. » He was surprised by the sudden outburst of Miroku.

Miroku inhaled sharply and tried to calm down before he opened his Kazanna and absorbed the stupid hanyou. « InuYasha, what can you smell ? » Speaking as calm as he could.

« What? » Said InuYasha, looking stupidly at Miroku as if he sunddenly decided to walk on his hands.

« Just do what I ask, smell the air around us and tell me what you can smell. » Clenching his staff tigh in his hand to prevent himself of slapping his friend.

« What are you playing at, Miroku ? There is nothing here, just the woods, us, and… »

« And? »

« Kagome's tears. »

« Exactly. » He sighed. « InuYasha do you have any idea of what you did to her? After all we went through together, you had to hurt her, again. You couldn't stop yourself, hm? You had to hurt her and worst you had to put this… Non-living being in to the equation! »

« What does Kikyo have to do with anything ? »

« She has to do with everything!!! You are so blind and stupid that I'm sad for you InuYasha! You have no idea of what this… Corpse is doing to Kagome! »

« What are you talking about Miroku? Kikyo would never do anything wrong, she is… »

« Shut up, InuYasha ! It's not my place to tell you what she is doing, and I'm sure that I don't even know everything, but you have to realize that she is hurting Kagome, really hurting her, and in more than one way, my friend, and I don't know how long our young friend will be able to support it… On top of that, you are hurting her too by running behind the clay woman and compare her to her. The same woman who's currently hurting her. How can you ever, even just for one second, think that the … dead one is better than the living and loving one? »

« It's not… »

« Let me finish. Ask yourself InuYasha : which one is always behind you and supports you? Which one trusts you with her life? Which one do you trust, really trust? Which one cares and takes care of you? Which one has never failed or betrayed you? Which one accepts you for what you really are? Which one is loving and a real pure being? When you can answer those questions honestly, InuYasha, you will see the horrible things you did to Kagome tonight. I hope that it is not too late for her to forgive you, once again. But, one day, she will not come back and on this day, InuYasha, what will you do? »

With that said, Miroku got up and left the area. InuYasha looked at the departing back of his friend, ears dropping on his head, whining. _I'm sorry, Kagome._

………..

Kagome whimpered and hugged herself tight. When she had left the camp that night, she had never felt so broken in her life. It was just too much. After all that the bitch was doing to her on propose, InuYasha had to… She shook her head, trying to erase all the images, painful memories.

After the marriage, she stayed at home to think. She was bored to death, she must admit. Being honest with herself, she realized that InuYasha didn't know any better than to act like he did and doesn't know the strain on her life and the pain she was reviving from her reincarnation. She didn't tell him, she didn't tell anyone everything, so she couldn't totally blame him. With that in mind, the fifth day, so two days before planned, she decided to come back to the past.

However, when she went back, InuYasha wasn't there to greet her like always. She thought that perhaps they'd heard about a new rumor of a shard and went to hunt. So, with that in mind, she decided to walk to the village and asked Kaede. It was at this moment that she was attacked…She should have been more careful. She had felt like she was being observed in the clearing, but she couldn't see or really feel the aura of anyone.

Kagome curled up in the fetal position, close to one of the walls opposite to him, hugging her legs to herself. She whimpered a little. Moving was hurting her, but she had to do that to try to find some warmth. The cell was so cold…

She took one last look towards the demon Lord. Sesshomaru had his head bent… _was he sleeping?_ Not really wanting to get up and see if he was or not, she closed her eyes. She was very tired. Her head was hurting and throbbing so much. With very little difficulty, Kagome fell into a dreamless sleep.

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End of the chapter 2

Wow. I had some difficulties to write this chapter but I hope it is more or less ok… Say what do you think ! Perhaps I can improve it with your help if necessary.

Better later…take care

Sweetest Angel


	3. Chapter 3 : Let me help you

Disclaimer : I don't own InuYasha.

Chapter 3 : Let me help you

Slowly, her heartbeat increased at the same time that she was awakening. She moaned in displeasure : she was hurting everywhere. She was hurting before, but now her muscles ached even more. Hell, even breathing was painful. Sleeping on a cold and hard ground wasn't the best idea ever to feel better.

She opened her eyes slowly, but her simple movement sent a violent pain flashing behind her eyes. Her head was throbbing all over. It was like someone was sucking her poor brain dry. She didn't think that she would one day feel so much pain. Hell, migraines sounded like a happy vacation on the beach in comparison to that.

To try to escape this horrible pain, Kagome squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as possible and whimpered pitifully. She took several deep breathes. Slowly, little by little, the pain became more tolerable. With a lot of trouble, she tried to sit up. She couldn't lay down indefinitely anyway, whatever her body was screaming at her, rather vehemently you could add, right now. That wouldn't help her.

It was as if the world was spinning around her. Not a great sensation at all. She opened her eyes again, even if it still hurt, and looked around her. Dim light, cave, cell, she remembered now. She whined softly when her mind remembered that it wasn't a nightmare. No such luck.

She turned and looked at her cell companion. He didn't move. _**He can't Sherlock !**_ Her mind screamed at her. She winced. Even screaming in her mind hurt.

Now what ? How long before InuYasha came to rescue her ? She whimpered. How long before InuYasha knows that she has been abducted ? She really was in deep shit. Why were problems always following her everywhere like shadows or the plague ? Why her ?!

She didn't know how long she'd stayed on her butt, lost in her thoughts and self pity. A moment for sure. She felt better. _**Yeah, try to lie to yourself**_. Ok, she felt a little bit better, so she decided that it was time to go back to Sesshomaru's side to see how he was, and if she could help. _Like he would let her !_ But hey, they were in the same boat, she was sure that Sesshomaru's intelligence could surpass his immeasurable pride, right… ? Hmm maybe not. It was an acknowledgeable fact that if the demon lord was in water drowning, he would let himself drown before asking for help. It's something in common with someone else she knows. _Must be in the genes, this stupid arrogance._ Hope that was only a myth. But, only one way to know.

As quietly as possible, she made her way toward the wall-chained demon Lord. On her way, being the ever clumsy person she was, Kagome almost tripped over her own feet. She succeeded in catching herself but let a yelp escape. So much for being quiet, she sighed.

At this moment, a noise like a thunderstorm started to resound off the cell walls. The young Miko raised her head. This time, she came face to face with the glaring amber eyes, still slightly unfocused, locked on her. She eep-ed in surprise and fell on her rear. _Ok, how many time did that happen in the last 24 hours ?! It's really getting old. _ She could almost hear a voice in her head snickering at her, _**not even able to stay on your own two feet for more than two seconds !**_ She groaned and looked up.

Sesshomaru, he was growling at her and … looking at her !

« Sesshomaru… ? » She whispered, climbing back on her feet. The growling intensified. He could hear her ! Then, he snarled at her. « Don't come closer. » His voice was so raw. You could see that he was fighting the need to cough. He would not, it was beneath him. Damn prideful dog.

« Sesshomaru, let me help you… »

He glared down at her. « Don't make me repeat myself. »

She huffed and glared back. « Stop growling at me ! I'm not the one who captured and chained you so stop it now, you big jerk ! » Ok, she and diplomacy weren't the best of her friends right now, but she had excuses for being like this. « It's not my fault that you are bleeding all over, so stop growling and glaring at me ! » She said, crossing her arms on her chest and turning her back to him.

She could hear him behind her, trying to release himself and hissing- oh so silently now and then. After a moment, she sighed. If she stayed as stubborn as him, the situation will never be resolved. She shook her head, her mind made up, and walked towards him.

Sesshomaru looked up again when he heard the woman move. When he woke up, he found himself, hurting everywhere, still bleeding, chained like a lowly animal. It was degrading. At first, he had heard movements and the noise of clothes rubbing. Now, he knew that he wasn't alone. At least, one thing was good : his hearing seemed to come back. However, he still couldn't smell a thing. When the sound had seemed to come closer, he'd opened his eyes with difficultly. Everything was a blur, his eyes were burning, but at least it wasn't darkness like before.

Even in that state, he could decipher something green and white coming closer. Those colors should ring bells but for the life of him, he couldn't remember why. Then, the person, for an unknown reason, fell on the ground, in front of him, with a yelp. The voice was a soft , feminine voice, obviously.

It was time to make it known that he has awakened. He started to growl, even if that hurt badly. Who was it, he didn't know, nor did he care. He felt so foolish to have been captured, HIM, the Western Lord ! His ward, Rin, was somewhere in the care of his incompetent fool of a retainer. At least, his ever so faithful two-headed dragon, Ah- Uhn was with them.

Like always, since the last abduction of Rin by the vile half-breed, Sesshomaru left strict instructions : if he didn't come back to the camp within one or two days time, they have to go back to the Western Fortress and wait for him there. They will be fine and safe. But it didn't mean that he had to like his predicament !

He made it clear that he didn't want the female anywhere near him. That was already killing him that somebody could see him in this shameful situation, chained to the wall of a cell like a vulgar animal. It was hurting so much to speak _but a little pain will not stop this Sesshomaru._ The onna spoke about helping him…Help him ?! He would never let someone purposely come close to him, even now that he was injured and even if it was difficult to admit, weaker than normal.

He growled louder, his eyes flashing red angrily. The stupid woman wasn't listening to him. Even worse, she was talking back to him - him- the most powerful demon Lord of Japan, without fear!

Disrespect,… white and green clothes,… long dark hair,…female… At that moment he froze, recognition had flashed in his head and he thought he was going to die on the spot. Of all the people in the world, he could have been trapped with, it had to be InuYasha's wench !!! Somewhere, someone really hated him. If he could, he would have looked livid.

She finished her angry rant and then turned her back to him. The ultimate show of disrespect to his person. If he wasn't in this position and so weak, he would have killed her, transforming her into a pile of goo, or maybe decapitated her. He wasn't sure, but she would be dead, that was certain.

He tried to break the chains, but they wouldn't move. Something wasn't normal about them. He bit his lips so as not to let a sound pass through them from his movements. He was hurting, badly. Nevertheless, he had to get the hell out of here before his idiotic half-breed of a brother showed up and saw him in such a state. He would not let that happen. He would get out of here and kill all the witnesses of his moment of weaknessand get back to his castle and forget that ever happened. How, he didn't know, but he would.

Kagome turned around to face the demon Lord. At his sight, her anger fluttered. To make it short, he was a horrible mess. It was almost painful to see a such fierce, powerful and proud Daiyoukai reduced to that state. She walked toward him, ignoring his vicious growling. « Why is he not healing ? » She whispered to herself. She came closer and this time, Sesshomaru tried to attack her.

Fortunately for her, the chains held him back but not without damage. Blood oozed out from the lacerations on his arm. He winced in pain, closing his eyes when the waves of pain washed through his body.

Kagome was shocked for a few seconds before immediately yelling.

« Stop that ! You are hurting yourself. Stop ! »

He opened his eyes slowly and just glared at her. He was now having trouble breathing. His bloody chest was moving up and down erratically. You could see that he was struggling to keep his head up to look, or glare, at her. His body seemed to have lost the fight, and now it was only the chains that were maintaining him up right and not on the floor.

The young Miko was almost in tears at the scene in front of her. He was InuYasha's enemy, in a way you could say and tried to kill her a couple of times but to see him like that… Her throat tightened almost painfully, and she blinked repetitively so as not to let a tear fall. He wasn't someone to be seen that way. Whether he wanted it or not wasn't important, she had decided to help.

She looked at him more attentively and saw armband-like things around the biceps of his right and left arm, or at least what was left of his left arm. That was where the chains were attached. However, he had one around his neck too… _What is the meaning of these things ? _Then something caught her eye : _the chains…It looks like they are… glowing ? _She thought to herself.

« Sesshomaru ? » She said softly. His eyes flicked to her. When she knew that she had his attention, she continued. « The chains, I can see them slightly glowing. Maybe, » Biting her bottom lip, « Maybe it is because of them that you aren't healing. They must have put some sort of spell on them. I… I can try to remove them. » She saw something flash in his eyes, but it was gone before she could identify it. She shook her head lightly, _must have imagined it_. But the demon Lord stayed silent, just watching her.

Taking his silence as consent to let her try, she came closer to the proud Daiyoukai and reach slowly for the chains.

When her fingers came close to them, she could feel the power they had put on them flirting with her Miko powers. But, when she was about totouch them, the metal glowed fiercefully and sent Kagome flying away on the floor.

The young Miko yelled when she touched the ground. She sat down on her knees, her sore muscles screaming at her to never again do something like that in the following twenty years if she wanted to stay alive. When she looked up, she saw that Sesshomaru was as shocked of the result as her. _Since when am I able to read him ? _She thought vaguely.

« Well, they seemed to have made them so I couldn't break them either. » She said it in a way to try to lighten the, but it fell flat.

Kagome looked at her hand. At least she wasn't hurt…more. Even in the dim light, which she was starting to get used to, she could see that her fingers were slightly red but not really burned. She was ok…If you didn't count the new scratches on her elbows. Oh and she was sure that with the number of times she has fallen on her butt in the last twenty-four hours, her cheeks must be turning blue.

Sesshomaru looked down at the Miko with as much boredom on his face as he could muster in his condition. His sight was still blurred, but he could still see her form. _Pathetic onna._

He didn't have enough strength to glare down at her again. He couldn't speak either…_hurt too much._

During that time, Kagome noticed something she didn't see earlier. _How couldn't I have seen it ? _She though.

She got up and walked towards one corner of the cell. There was a big container gathering the water that was running drop by drop from somewhere in the ceiling. She watched the water, and chanced a glance toward the bending demon Lord. She bit her bottom lip again. She had to try.

She gathered water in her hands and walk back in front of the Lord of the West.

« Sesshomaru…. ? » She spoke softly.

He raised his head to look at her. If he wasn't attached to the wall, he would have jumped on her to attack.

« Sesshomaru, » She started quietly, « I just want to help you. Everything that has happened here will stay here, I promise.

There is water over there but there isn't a bowl and this container is too heavy for me, so I can only do it with my hands… »

He growled again but didn't do anything when she brought her hands close to his mouth. He finished by accepting her water.

When he was drinking, she got the chance to look at him closely.

« Oh Kami, what happened to you ? » She said in a whisper.

It was already difficult for his pride to drink in her hands, but he didn't have any other choice. He wasn't stupid to refuse and die like that. When he finished, he felt that his throat and tongue were a little better because of the water.

« Don't come near, human. » He snapped.

Kagome almost jumped out her skin at his voice. « I just want to help. » She answered.

« Don't need. » He all but growled out.

« But there is something wrong. You are still bleeding. Your youki isn't able to heal you.

Let me help you. » She said, almost pleading.

Sesshomaru looked at her pondering if he should honor and gift her with a response from his person. Then, when Kagome though he had transformed into a statue or something, he spoke.

« Why ? »

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End of the chapter 3.

Thanks a lot for the ones that took the time to review.

Hope you had like this new chapter, even if the story is still calm for the moment…

Thanks to my beta, Theresa, too. Girl you are amazing :)

Well, I'm off. Take care,

Sweetest Angel


	4. Chapter 4 : in the same boat

Here the chapter 4. 

I apologize sincerely.

My beta and me are joining our voice to say that** we are deeply sorry to have been so long to provide you with this new update.** Some problems, personal problems had had arizen that had prevented us to deliver this new chapter sooner.

Anyways, I hope that you will all like this new update. Thanks for the ones who had let a message. Well, now hop to the story, ENJOY!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

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_**Captured and Trapped, **_

_**Chapter 4**__**: In the same boat**_

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Sesshomaru stared at Kagome, his face blank, awaiting impatiently her answer. Even slightly unfocused and red from what looked like irritations, when his cold golden eyes gazed at the young Miko so strongly, she couldn't prevent the shiver from running down her spine. Even in this state, Sesshomaru stayed Sesshomaru : a very powerful and intimidating Daiyoukai. But she would never say that out loud to the demon Lord, he didn't need that to boost his already big ego.

Kagome knew that she had to take good care of how she would formulate her answer because she already had little chance of convincing him to let her help.

But she did not have much time to reflect on the right reply. If she waited too long, he would not accept nor listen to her.

She looked up at him, dead in the eyes.

« Why not ? We are in the same cell, so in the same boat, and you bleeding half to dead will not help the escape. We should be able to put our differences aside and form a temporary truce. »

But when she saw his eyes narrow at her, she knew that she had said something wrong that he didn't like. He growled lowly at her. « This Sesshomaru will not honor your proposition. » Then, he turned his head slightly, without breaking eyes contact, dismissing her.

Now Kagome was seeing red. _How … ? What… ? What an unbelievable pompous ass ! _Her hands were shaking with her rage, closed in fists. Oh, how she would like to just hit him over the head for being so stupid and arrogant! Could he not see that without help he would die ! _Baka ! When you are in this kind of situation like they are right now, you put a cloth on your pride if it is needed to save your life…What was so hard to see there ?_

Before she could stop herself, Kagome voiced her thoughts. « Baka ! Stop being so stubborn. What good will it do to you to conserve so much pride when you will be dead ? Hm ! Nothing at all! You will be dead, end of the story. I had thought that you were more intelligent than that, but apparently I was wrong. You are much more like InuYasha than you, or anyone else for the matter, thinks ! »

She had really hit where it hurt, when she realized this, she jumped a few steps back from his prone figure. Her blood pounded in her ears, her heart beat widely. She saw his eyes darkening in front of her very own, and he snarled furiously at her. « Do not, ever compare this Sesshomaru to that pathetic half-breed. »

She sighed. She knew that she had gone too far. For someone like the demon Lord, even if she didn't approve of his vision, she understood that saying those words, was as close to the ultimate insult as you could get. « I'm sorry. It's just difficult to watch someone as proud as you, give up, possibly even his very life, just because you can't accept someone else's help. » She said sincerely but softly, before turning her head and closing her eyes. Sesshomaru continued to growl but the red that had appeared in his previously golden eyes, faded away slowly, as he calmed down.

However, interiorly, after a moment, he started to think of all she said. Even if it hurt him to acknowledge it, she was right on some points. Something was strange about the chains. It was as if they were draining his youki… But it shouldn't be enough to prevent his superior healing : there must be something else or a combination of factors. Maybe they had injected poison in his injuries. He knew that even with the chains and the collar they put on him, which were draining his powers, his healing powers were still working. The proof was that he could hear and see when he couldn't the day before. They must have used at least two types of poison… and the one currently in the lacerations in his right arm and torso, he couldn't neutralize, when he should normally be immune any type of poison…Then, when he was still lost in his musing, a violent pain went through his body. He had to do something, and soon, or he would die here. So he took, to his chagrin, the only logical decision.

« Miko. » He said, through his teeth, but nothing more. He would never bend so low and let the words ' help me' escape from his lips. That will never happen. He hoped she would be able to understand what was behind this simple word, because he would not say anything more. For him, it was already asking a lot.

Kagome looked back towards him. The demon Lord's breathing was more erratic and noisy… or at least she could hear it, even with her simple human ears. He was getting worse.

She locked her eyes with his, remarking that his focus seemed a little better.

« Your eyes are a little better. You can really see me now, right ? » She asked quietly.

He just looked at her and didn't answer, awaiting for something. _Hm, he can hear me clearly now and can see me… it is better than last night, or what she considered night. At that moment he couldn't see and almost not hearing a thing_. She thought to herself.

« It wasn't my intention to insult you when I said that you weren't healing normally or at least some of your injuries aren't. However, even I can see that it is not normal for you to still be bleeding now. And you are having difficulties breathing more and more. I didn't mean it as an insult. I just wanted to help. Will you let me help you ? » She spoke softly.

But he was still not talking to her, just watching intensely. She had to convince herself not to become angry at him. He didn't look like someone of a lot of words. Too bad for her, since she was the opposite. Nevertheless, he'd stopped growling after calling her, must mean something. He did consent to a step, that's already a lot to ask for somebody as proud as Sesshomaru. That meant that she had to go the rest of the way. Hope that she didn't incorrectly interpret his action or lack there of.

Her shaking hands moved nearer to his face. Slowly and delicately, she pushed his hair behind his ears and shoulders. When her fingers brushed the tips of his ears, they moved slightly. Kagome had to prevent herself from giggling. That was something so… cute in a way, and so different from what you should think of anything of the demon Lord.

To her surprise, he didn't say anything or even move away when their skin came in contact for a brief instant, just stayed looking at her.

No, Sesshomaru didn't make a move, even if the idea of a human touching him didn't sit well with him. He was slightly shocked by the gentleness of her touch though, surprisingly soft.

After having put the hair out of the way, she looked more closely at his face. Tentatively, she brushed the skin around his eyes. He hissed at the contact. « Gomen. » She whispered softly.

The outlines of his eyes were extremely red and slightly puffy but didn't seem really infected like she'd first thought. She noticed something running from the corner of his eyes. _He must be expeling the poison himself. That must be why his sight is better._ She thought distantly.

He observed her while she continued to examine him. She put one of her hands in front of his nose.

« Can you smell me ? » 

At first he was appalled that he had to purposely smell a human, then finally understood what she really wanted.

He took a deep inspiration, thinking absently, _not a bad scent for a human_. But by doing that, he did a snorting sort of sound with his nose. « Yes. »

She flushed and search for the pack of Kleenex in the inside pocket of her skirt. She opened one and blushed lightly when she saw the curiosity flashing in his eyes. She cleared her throat softly.

« May-maybe if you blow… there is something green oosing out from the corner of your eyes and your ears too so perhaps your body is rejecting the poison and all you'll've to… expulse it from your nose to be able to smell normally. »

She was nervous, he could tell. He looked at what she had in her hand and back to her eyes, raising an eyebrow.

« Hn ? » Cocking her head on the side before understanding flashed in her mind. « Oh ! Hm, it is cloth made in paper and produce exactly for… this type of use. Hm… it comes from my…home town. »

He looked at her suspiciously, not missing the hesitation she made when she had said from where she came from. He had always been curious about the human wench that was running around, following his half-brother everywhere like a lost puppy. Her clothes, the way she spoke and even her scent had intrigued him since day one. He knew that something was different in this girl. At first, he was disgusted with himself for even having remarked that she was different. But he was a really curious being by nature, he had lots of problems due to that when he was just a pup to prove it, so his curiosity won. Since the day he admitted it to himself that his interest wasn't as disgraceful as he had first thought, if left unknown by anyone, he started to, when the hanyou and he crossed paths, he observed the young Miko from the corner of his eyes. Something was off about her and not being able to discover what it was had left him with some sleepless nights from analyzing their last encounter, trying to pin point a clue, if there was one. 

Beside her origin, even her comportment was suspicious. First, the hanyou. She wasn't the first miko of his brother, the insult was that the undead miko was still walking around. And then, the kitsune. Sesshomaru saw the way she was acting with the kit, and it wasn't a miko comportment facing a youkai even a child. No, she was acting as if the species didn't matter or count in her judgement of others. Better yet, she wasn't judging at all. And she forgave way too easily, the foolish onna.

Kagome was awaiting a reaction from the demon Lord, but he just stayed silent, his eyes on her but not seeing her, lost in his thoughts. She was anxious that he'd chosen to not let her do anything because he was worried about what she would do with the things that've happened here, and that she saw him in such a state.

« Do not worry. Everything that has happened in this cell and until we get out of here, will stay in this cell. In others words, I will never tell a living being, I promise. I just want to help. Like I said before, we are in the same 'boat ' and you know what the dictum says : the enemy of my enemy is my friend or ally. I will not say that we should become the best of friends but form a truce and help each other, so we will be able to get the hell out of here and be on our ways. »

He hesitated a moment still. 

« Right now, the injuries on your arm are really severe, and you can't move it and shouldn't move it, so I will do it for you. I know that you aren't a little boy anymore, that you are way older than me and all, but I don't want you to make your condition worse just by reason of pride badly placed. I will never tell. »

Still not moving. What she was asking, was really insulting and degrading. But, he could see the way of thinking behind her words. He nodded once. His pride was screaming at him to not let her do it, but he couldn't endanger his life. He wouldn't die before he killed, one by one, the responsible of his abduction. This insult on his honor would not follow him to the tomb. He had to make sure of that. So that's why, after weighing the pros and cons, he'd decided to accept her proposition.

She used the last two of her Kleenexes and placed them back after use in the pack, using it as a little 'garbage bag', for fault of better solution, and put it all away. She did it without even blinking, as if it was an every day occurrence which put, in a way, Sesshomaru more at ease. Then, she placed her hand back in front of him. « And now ? » She asked softly.

He inspired deeply, and this time, without as much problems. Now, he could more clearly detect her scent. « Better. » He said, flatly.

She smiled. She shouldn't have expected a longer answer from the Lord of the West.

She ripped up her sleeve and took one piece to wet it.

« I will try to do it really carefully. »

Then, with a care that shocked Sesshomaru and even Kagome a little, she cleaned up his face, his eyes, his ears. She used another larger piece of her sleeve to get water and squeezed it with one hand, lettting the water fall on the first small cloth dirtied by the poison. She used her hand and the larger piece of cloth to take the water so she could cleanse the poison off the 'cleaning' cloth with the water, without contaminating the water source by putting it in directly, since they will need to use this liquid to drink later. When she finished, she put the piece of cloth, which had been in contact with the poison aside.

Sesshomaru was surprised again by her ingeniousity and stopped the growl, just in time, that was menacing to come out. He didn't like to be surprised and that a simple human woman could surprise him, repetitively, without even trying, bringing him close to let slip his perfect impassive mask.

It's not the first time. It seemed that she has succeeded in astonishing him each time they crossed paths. Her courage to fight for what she though to be the right thing when he could smell the fear just underneath the surface. Her loyalty, close to stupidity, to his half-brother. The courageous front after each insult and betrayal of the hanyou, too stupid to see that it was the only person who saw him for who he was and not what, and that would not betray him like the walking dead one. Then she'd protected his ward. She was the reason, too that during one or two fights with InuYasha, they were fighting on the same side. And there was that immense unused power too which was running in her veins.

Yes, she was the first and only human who had won a little respect after the years since their first encounter that had so long ago, led them to his father's grave. But that didn't mean that he had to like it.

His muses were interrupted by her soft voice. « Sesshomaru… ? »

His amber eyes locked on her. He immediately remarked that she wasn't making eye contact with him and it was impossible to miss the blush creeping on her cheeks. He raised an eyebrow.

He could smell a scent of nervousity coming off her in waves.

« Speak your mind, Miko. »

« I…I have to take off your haori. » Her voice quavering.

A second eye brow came to join the first one for two seconds before his mask fell back in place, face impassive.

« Proceed. »

She looked at him in the eyes a moment and nodded. She gulped as her hands reached for his obi. Vaguely, she wondered where his armor was. Slightly shaking, she made his haori slip off his shoulders as low as she could with the 'thing' still in place on his biceps.

She had a right to be nervous. She never was like that when she had to do the same thing with InuYasha, but she had to be honest : they weren't at all close to be in the same league. Really, Sesshomaru is… like a God. And she was, her the plain old Kagome, taking off his clothes with him observing everything she was doing. See ? She had the right to be nervous.

When his beautiful pale skin came into view along with his injuries, she let escape a gasp. There, in the middle of his perfectly sculptured torso, were three deep bad looking gashes, blood still oozing out.

She padded behind him and lift his clothes on his back to see what was behind. She could see old blood but when she passed her hand on his back, all she could find was smooth perfect skin. She was really jealous. _How could he be so perfect ?_ But she shook her head : _not the moment to think like that._ She cleansed the blood off his back.

« Can you move backwards to lean against the wall ? »

He nodded once and did it, moving slowly with her help, but that was still painful to move. Immediately, even if his body was relieved to have some support, the pain continued to increase.

In this position, it was easier for Kagome to see, since he wasn't in the shadow anymore. Sesshomaru was looking down at what she was doing. She removed the blood she could. Most of his injuries were already totally healed, beside the three deep marks of claws on his chest and the one on his arm.

« Miko. »

Startled, she looked up, her usually shining brown eyes, troubled.

« They are infected with poison. »

« I-I know. What should I do ? »

He looked at the one on his arm, closed to his shoulder, and carefully study it for a moment. When he looked up back to her, nervousity was griping her heart at the intensity of his gaze.

He stayed silent a moment longer, just looking at her, like if pondering something. Then, he finally spoke.

« Only one solution… » He said flatly as usually, looking at her dead in the eyes. The intensity of his gaze made Kagome fidgeting. _What did he have in mind...?_

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End of the chapter 4

So, what do you think? Like it or hate it? Well, I will wait your reviews to find out! ;)

Thanks again to my genial beta, '_**Theresa**_', for her great work.

Well, I'm off,

Take care,

Sweetest Angel


	5. Chapter 5 : to be a good host

I don't own InuYasha. Sad reality :(

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Chapter 5 : to be a good host

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Kagome looked at the impassible face of the demon Lord as if a second head just popped out.

« W-what ?! » She said in a squeal.

« Only one solution could be useful in this kind of situation. You have to… »

« There is no way in Hell that I suck the poison out !! » She interrupted him by screamed in disgust, shaking her head profusely and stucking her tongue out to show even more her repulsion at just the idea of this course of action.

Sesshomaru slightly narrowed his eyes making her froze in her display. At the hard look the demon Lord was sending her way, Kagome knew that she had say something stupid…again. But hey, when there is someone bitten by a snake and such, they always said that you had to suck the poison out with your mouth. She was not crazy, there are proofs of what she had tell err screamed at him. A lot of them ! They always do that… in movies. Ok, maybe not the better references.

She looked at him sheepishly and cleared her throat. « Hm, What were you saying that I had to do again ? »

« Use your powers. » He repeated flatly, his eyes further narrowed because she made him repeat himself which he really don't like. His injuries were really hurting, almost unbearable, so something had to be done now, or it could be too late, and here she was babbling about non sense.

At first, Kagome was a little embarrassed, then shocked and finally she was literally panicking. No, not even panic was the right word at what she was feeling. She watched Sesshomaru backward more closer to the wall behind him for support and with a lot of difficulties and pain, moved his hand towards his chest. He hissed in pain. He couldn't hide the pain at all anymore. It was just too much, even for the demon Lord. He was dieing and he knew it. His only chance, as much as it disgusted him to admit it, was the woman, human, in front of him, InuYasha's wench. He closed his eyes tight, breathing was more and more difficult. _Oh how the mighty had fallen_, he though with dry humor. He was even half tempted to let it all go but his vengeance and pride wouldn't let him do. He would make them pay, even if he had to accept the help of a human, and even if it was the last thing he did.

« It's the only solution… It's a task really simple, even for a human like you. »

The young Miko didn't even note down the insult, she was far too gone for that. « I can't do that. What if I purify you ? (at that he snarled. How could she implied that someone insignificant like her could kill him ?) … Or,or…I need control to do healing, and I don't have control AT ALL !! I could make thing worst ! And I-I am sure that this kind of things work with powerful and trained miko. I'm just an amateur with nothing that powerful in me » She was breathing hard.

He opened his eyes and looked at the pitiful spectacle playing in front of him. He was slightly shocked that she would be so distress at the idea to hurt him. Strange thing to see. This Miko was really abnormal. However, he didn't have time to dowel into this.

« If you don't do something, this Sesshomaru w-will… So stop… c-complaining. » Then he did something really surprising, even for himself but desperate situation ask for desperate actions. « Y-you have hi-hight level of raw powers untouched in you…Y-you have more than re.. required to f-fullfil this task. » He, how much he could and never did in his life, sort of comfort her. She had to get a grip at herself and her emotions, or he was lost.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she blinked furiously to not let them fall. She felt strangely boosted by his words. So, Kagome took a deep inspiration, and she spoke. « What have I to do ? » A light of determination burning in the depth of her brown eyes. She will save him. She could really save him, even the demon Lord said so himself and she never saw him lie once.

With still some difficulties to speak, Sesshomaru tried to explain to her how she should do. But he warned her first that he was youkai so he knew how youkai whom had the ability to heal used their powers but not the miko way. At that, some of the confidence that Kagome had won by her determination to help him, faltered a little. He told her then that if it wasn't working with miko powers the same way, it will just not work. That calmed her back to a tolerable level of emotions. How a single being could hold so much feelings was really puzzling. Humans were really weak when dealing with feelings and intense emotions. They just snapped. It was one of their many weaknesses. So, how come she was able to have so many at once and still stay mentally 'sane' ? Maybe that was that, she wasn't. She couldn't be seeing at since how long she stood by his half-brother side, willingly.

He instructed her to close her eyes and concentrate. He told her to imagine the blood which was currently flowing in his veins. Then when she could see it behind her eyelids, if she was able to see the poison which was polluting it. At that point she stopped him, and asked a pertinent question that shocked him in the way that it was really thoughtful. How could she make the difference between the poison that was naturally coursing in his veins and the other one ? After some reflections, he answered that if she couldn't see a difference she just had to destroy all. When healed, his body will produce anew of his personal poison.

When she can visualize in her mind, his blood polluted by poison, he said that she was ready. He instructed her that she had to want to heal him, really want to or her powers will 'though' that she wanted to destroy him. He said that in her mind, she had to be able to visualize her Miko powers in her. That she had to shift them slightly, and she would see the difference between her powers to destroy and the ones to heal. Her miko powers in her case were a light pink. When she will be able to change the color, she will know that she'd shift them. This power will work exactly like the first one, but it will not cause him any harm. Only powerful Mikos are able to shift their powers like that.

Kagome had a lot of difficulties with what he was asking her but her vow to heal him was so great that it was as if her body was able to do it by itself. Slowly, her aura shift from a light pink to a deep purple. When she succeeded, she felt drained. She didn't do anything still, and she was already so tired. Even so, she will not stop.

Since she'd succeeded in her mind, it was time to do it for real. Sesshomaru could tell that she was frightened. Against all his believes, he tried more or less to assure her that she could do it. Time was running short, he could feel it. The poison was gaining more and more power and soon his body will give up. More and more poison was running in his veins at the point that now he had to force with all his might to oblige his body to continue to inspire the much needed air and his heart to continue to beat.

Kagome hesitated a second but nodded. She placed her left hand on the gach on his arm and the right hand on his torso. Sesshomaru winced when her hands made contact with his lacerated skin but didn't pull away. She closed her eyes and concentrated, a deep purple light warped up around their form. When his youki flared but not attacked her aura, he knew that she had it.

After a few long minutes, the light died down. The young Miko locked her gaze with the unreadable amber eyes of the demon Lord of the West. She whispered two words, smile tiredly to him and fainted. « I succeed. »

He caught her before her unconscious form touch the floor. As he could, he deposed her against the wall beside him.

He looked down to examine his injuries. The poison had been purified off his system : now, he will be able to heal completely. Hm. He turned slightly to look at the woman who probably just saved his life. Such a strange human. He was disgusted to have to rely on her, but it was the only way and the fastest.

He leaned back against the wall, still looking at her unconscious form. Vaguely, he was pondering how she had come to be in there. Furthermore, where was his stupid half-brother in this story ? Hm. It was really a stung at his pride to have been captured and reduced to ask help from a Miko. Not that he had the necessity to ask since she proposed. Then, she, making a promise to him of silence came back in his mind. Humans weren't truthful creatures, one of their many faults. So he couldn't take her words for granted. However, somewhere in the back of his mind, he was sure that she will keep her promise. Yes, he will not count on it, but he knew that she will keep her word.

He closed his eyes. He was literally drained, and some sleep will assist to heal faster.

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Hours later, they were awakened by a loud sound. A few seconds after, Sesshomaru found himself pined against the wall by the things around his neck and biceps. Kagome, startled, looked up with wide shocked eyes. Then, the door opened violently. A youkai entered and throw a tray of food. He looked a second at the two people inside the cell and laughed saying that someone will be there shortly to 'visit' them.

Not a minute later, the door opened again…

« KuKuKu… » Resounded against the wall.

Even still pinned on the wall, Sesshomaru growled viciously.

This voice, it could be only one person. « Naraku ! » Kagome yelled, jumping on her feet, but swaying a bit for the sudden movement, her body still weak.

The hanyou smile darkly. « Ah Kagome, my little Miko, How are you on this beautiful day ? »

A sound surprisingly closed to a growl come out of Kagome throat, when walking towards the middle of the cell. « What do you want, Naraku ? »

« Oh ? Not even a good morning ? I'm hurt, deeply. KuKuKu. » In a blink of the eye, he was just in front of her. « You know, my little Miko » Tracing the contour of her jaw with a finger. She didn't give him the satisfaction to flinch at his touch, so she stayed put and glared at him. A smirk grew on his face. « You are a feisty one. That's one of the thing I like in you. And I can say that I'm impressed. I had though that one of my demon would be enough to capture you. I'm really glad that I put three of them. Luck was on my side that one could slip behind you when you were killing the two others. Tsk tsk tsk, you made him really angry.

And Lord Sesshomaru, I'm pleased that you could join our little Fiest. It was quite problematic to 'convince' you to join us. So much of my men… but how did you find my little gift for you ? I can see that my poison wear off by now since your senses are back.

Hm. I can say that the two of you were quite problematic for me, so I'm happy to see the two of you here. » He smiled again when he turned to face Kagome again, making her took a few steps back. « Without his little Miko, his angel guard, InuYasha will be easy to get when I will so choose to go after him. »

Anger was raging inside her veins. « Why am I really here ? » Her voice cold, sounding sickeningly like the demon Lord's.

« No so much impertinence, you will know when it will please me, my dear lovely little Miko, I just came to welcome you as the good host I am, in what risk to be your last residence. » He looked dead in the Miko eyes. « Except if I can find better use. »

With that, he left.

A minute after the door'd been closed for the second and last time, the spell that seemed to pin the demon Lord against the cell wall, vanished, leaving Sesshomaru free but off balance.

« Sesshomaru ! » Kagome cried, almost running to his side, but she was stopped before reaching him by a growl.

« Are you ok ? » She asked softly, her voice full of concern.

But no answer, not even a glance, she sighed. Figures. So she ignored him and came closer to the wall. On it, as if it had been sealed in the wall, a rectangle in a different type of stone. Kagome touched it lightly with her fingers tips. « It's strange. » Sesshomaru looked at her in the corner of his eyes, still displeased that she was so close. She turned to look at him a second, a troubled light in her eyes before continuing her observation. « I can feel the spell in it. It strangely feels like holy powers. » She looked back at him. « The stone are made with holy powers and the collar and your chains with youki. At their command, I don't know how, those things act like magnet. »

Sesshomaru turned as he could to look at her more fully and raised an eyebrow in question. Kagome cocked her head to one side, confused, then it clicked. « Oh, sorry. Magnet is… well it is two pieces of… metal but charged with opposite forces. When they are near enough of one another, they are... attract to one another until they are…stick. »

The Lord of the West looked down at the little Miko suspiciously. _From where did she learn that ? Would it be possible that she is educated ? No, even if she comes from somewhere else, females are rarely or close to never educated, and she didn't seem nobility. Hm._

During his muses, Kagome had walked towards the tray they brough earlier and padded back at Sesshomaru side.

« They only gave for one person, apparently. Hope there isn't poison in it. There is bread, I think this thing is bread and meat. Do you want some ? »

« This is human food, and it isn't for this Sesshomaru. » He spat uncaring.

She huffed at his reply. « And ? » Hands on her hips. « Eating cooked meat will not kill you, you know ? There. » Giving him half of the meat. « We can share. You have to eat too, you know. »

He growled at her familiar way to talk to his person but hesitated to take the meat. It was another attack to his pride and honor. Fed by a human. Rin tried to do the same thing, but he didn't touch anything. But now…He accepted. He had to eat. When he was attacked, he hadn't had eaten for a few days and was going to hunt. Yes, he'd been about to go to hunt when he was so shamefully captured and ended up there.

Kagome smiled at him when he took it. « You want more ? » She asked sweetly.

« Eat the rest, Miko. »

She shook her shoulders. « Suit yourself. » And she ate.

« Do you want water ? » She asked suddenly when she saw that they had left a bowl on the tray. He growled at her but nodded. She smiled again. « Ok. »

She held him a bowl of water. « More ? » « Iie. » She nodded and went to take water for herself.

Sesshomaru was observing her. She could feel his piercing eyes on her like if she was some kind of laboratory mouse to study. She flushed at the intensity of his gaze. She cleared her throat. « Hm… ano, have you any idea why we are here ? I mean, if we… if you are a nuisance for his plan why keep you alive. Not that I mean he should kill you or anything. I… » She groaned pitifully, hitting her forehead. She was digging her own grave she so feel it. But she didn't receive what she had expected. He just narrowed his eyes at her and continued to speak with his always so silky voice. « That concern you too. »

She looked at him and gave off a small sad smile. « I'm not stupid Sesshomaru. You are a threat for him, that sure. And InuYasha, Sango or Miroku can be a real opponent too but I… »

« You are truly stupid, onna. »

« Hey ! » She yelled, outraged.

But he ignored her outburst. « Were you or were you not the only one to succeed to almost kill him with your sacred arrow ? » Lifting an eye brow to prove his point.

« Yes, but… »

He shook his head, _stubborn woman_, he thought and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. « Do not take by heart what my worthless whelp of brother keep saying to you. Even Naraku saw that the reason of his force and why he is still alive is because of you, Miko. »

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End of the chapter 5.

First thing first, thank you Theresa for your 'beta help' and work again in this story. Thank you so much.

I'm so sorry to have taken so long to update guys. puppy eyes Please, don't hate me !

I wanted to add that some editing works will be done in this story during the next week, since some people had pointed out problems. If you saw some mistakes feel free to contact me in a PM or e-mail (my address : ) if you wish to show me my errors. I know that I can make a lot of them, english being a language I had studied only in high-school, so you can do it freely. I know that I have some difficulties to see my own mistakes most of the times. But I wish to do better. I don't want people who speak fluent english, be angry or hate my works because I am far from having a perfect english. However, I'm realistic too. I just hope to do at least a passable job and not a horrible one ! ;)

Well, I have nothing more to say so, all of you guys,

Take care

Sweetest Angel


	6. Chapter 6 : I'm sorry

Hello dear readers!

I know, I have been absent for some times now and I'm really sorry about it. For the ones who had seen one of my other stories, 'in the elevator', I'm close to the end. In fact, only one part and it's the end. I had lots of difficulties with the part 6, where the lemon is since it was my first time to write something of that kind. I wanted to concentrate on that story to have it finished to continue the others. It is almost done but I just thought about all of you guys, damning me for taking so long to update and I decided to be really kind! ;P

So, here the chapter 6, hope you will like it. ENJOY!!

Disclaimer: I still don't own InuYasha…. Why is life so cruel with meeeeee!! (whimper)

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_Previously, in the chapter 5: _

_« You are truly stupid, onna. »_

_« Hey ! » She yelled, outraged._

_But he ignored her outburst. « Were you or were you not the only one to succeed to almost kill him with your sacred arrow ? » Lifting an eye brow to prove his point._

_« Yes, but… »_

_He shook his head, __stubborn woman__, he thought and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. « Do not take by heart what my worthless whelp of brother keep saying to you. Even Naraku saw that the reason of his force and why he is still alive is because of you, Miko. »_

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**Chapter 6 : I'm sorry**

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The young Miko was literally frozen on the spot. Did she just receive a compliment? Did the ice prince Sesshomaru himself just give her a compliment? To her, a 'pathetic human'? Kagome was beyond shocked. Words didn't even exist to explain the turmoil that was raging right now inside of her head.

Sensing the confusion of her aura, Sesshomaru languishly opened his eyes. Kagome looked up at him in wonder but all she saw in his amber pools, beyond the usual impassivity, was his sincerity. She flushed when the impact of his words washed over her. However, even if she knew that lying was beneath him, she had some difficulties in fully believing his words.

She smiled slightly at him and went to take a seat against the wall too.

Sesshomaru was observing her every movement. It was like she couldn't really believe that she was of any 'use' to anyone. Even if he could feel her gratitude about his comforting words, there were still doubts lurking in the shadow of her mind. It wasn't really his problem though, it wasn't as if he cared at all. But it seemed that the insults and words from his half-brother over the last passing years had done more damage to her confidence in her powers than he first though. Hm.

It wasn't his problem if she was feeling useless, but the confusion in her aura was literally suffocating him. He didn't like the feeling at all. He had to divert her attention to elsewhere.

"How did you come to be here?" He asked smoothly.

"Huh?" Was all she said, her head shooting in his direction.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes telling her clearly without words that she'd heard him and that he would NOT repeat himself.

She flushed slightly before she started to answer. "Well, I… I was coming back from home. I was two days earlier than planned so InuYasha wasn't there.

I was walking towards Edo, the village close to Inuyasha's forest, when I felt like I was been watched. I don't really know how to explain it. It was just a feeling, but I couldn't sense any auras nearby. I tried to concentrate to localize and decipher what was looking at me but I couldn't feel a thing. No other aura miles around. But I couldn't shake this feeling away. Like a cold sweat running down my spine, you know?

Then, out of nowhere, a youkai, really really ugly youkai, came crashing into the clearing I has just entered. He was as beautiful as Jaken is, if you get what I mean." She shuddered slightly before resuming her story.

" Well, I just had time to grab my bow and divert his attack.

It happened so rapidly, I didn't have the time to really reflect about the best way to get out of this mess before another of those 'things' arrived… I succeeded in injuring the first one, gaining me some time to react to the attack from the second one. I don't really remember clearly what happened. I had just killed the last one when I felt as if someone was behind me. I was knocked out by a third one. I didn't see it arrive before it was too late. And before I could react, everything went blank and I woke up in here. You know the rest."

Sesshomaru looked at her critically. He would not admit it out loud, but he was slightly impressed about her little exploit. But his muses were cut short by the object of his thoughts.

She chuckled with self-deprecation. "They didn't have to mess up all my senses and send an army to catch me." Lowering her head and bringing her legs close to herself for support, she pulled herself into her thoughts of self-loathing.

When the demon lord looked at the pitiful display in front of him, he had a sudden urge to hit his worthless half-brother to a bloody pulp for the damage he did unthinkingly to his Miko companion. _The half-breed is really an insult to all youkai alike, even with how much of demon blood he had in him. He swore to protect her but at the same time, was destroying her mentally. Shameful_. He resisted the urge to growl. Just the very idea of any drop of his sire's blood flowing in the hanyou bloodstream made him ill.

"You are not youkai. Any other human in your situation, one would have been enough." He said, without a hint of emotion.

She looked at him with tearful eyes. A warm feeling washed over her.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru." She said softly.

He just turned his head away, showing her that she was dismissed. Kagome bit her bottom lip as not to speak out what she thought about his disrespectful way towards her when he, just a second ago, was praising her. He dismissed her like she was one of his servants. That didn't sit well with the young Miko but she refrained from commenting, still a little shocked about his compliment. She knew the demon Lord of the West enough to know that he wasn't the one to dispense this kind of stuff freely… at all actually. _Hell, him acknowledging your presence is an exceptional event in itself_. Maybe the poison had a hidden side effect, but she was not going to complain. She had never stayed that long in Sesshomaru presence without him either ignoring her or trying to kill her! Letting the subject dropped for the moment, she tried to find a position as comfortable as possible, and closed her eyes, tiredness winning over her body.

Through half-closed eyes, the demon Lord observed the little Miko. He was asking himself over and over again why he had tried to reassure the human. It didn't make any sense. He was trying to convince himself that it was only because she wouldn't be of any use for him if pitiful, ill or dead. Hm, of course, that must be the reason. He was doing an act that would serve his particular purpose later. That's right. If not that, what else? He looked down at the young onna and found her already asleep. He sighed inaudibly and decided that doing the same would be a good idea… it wasn't like he had anything else better to do anyway.

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…………_.._

_A few hours later,…_

…………_.._

With a start, Kagome woke, not understanding what could have kidnapped her from the sunny beach with coconuts trees she was dreaming to be sun bathing in. She looked around her, her mind still a little foggy from her injuries and sleep.

She heard a low growl to her left and saw the demon Lord of the West pinned against the wall, snarling angrily towards the entry, not able to move.

"Sesshomaru !!" She screamed, jumping back on her feet. But before she had the time to do anything, the door of their cell from Hell was thrown open, letting two demons walk in. They pushed her out of their way as if she was nothing more than the mud under their shoes, sending her flying against a wall.

"Stay out of this human, or I will make you pay as well for the death of my brothers, you bitch." One of the two demons spat down at her in disdain. With the help of the wall, Kagome stood up, glaring at them. They were identical… identically to the monstrous youkais that had attacked her. She wanted to come closer to the Demon Lord but the youkai stayed in front of her, blocking her path, while the other one walked towards Sesshomaru.

His bulbous green eyes scanned the pinned body of the Lord of the West, not at all phased by the feral and murderous eyes of the DaiYoukai. His eyes narrowed, not in the least pleased with what he saw, making him, with his yellowish skin, if possible, even more hideous. He made a sound much like a growl.

"How did you survive and suppress the poison in your blood, Oh _Lord_ ?"

"The Miko." came a third voice in the embrasure of the door cell.

"You bitch!" yelled the demon in front of her with fury and back-handed her across her face really hard. She fell to the ground by the sudden force of the impact.

Sesshomaru growls became louder and darker.

"Oh? The high and mighty Lord of the Western Lands defending a human woman Miko…" He emitted a strangled sound, close to a chuckled, and smirked. "I never thought I would see the day!"

The DaiYoukai snarled, his eyes flashing for a second. He was trying to move from his undesired position up against the wall, but the spell that they had used didn't give in to his will.

"Stop playing around idiots! You have a job to do!!" shouted the third youkai, leaving the embrasure of the door and walking in**.**

The two others nodded and advanced towards the chained Demon Lord. They started to land punches on his stomach and all over his body. They beat him viciously, Sesshomaru being unable to stop them took it as silently as possible to save his pride.

Kagome was screaming at them to stop, begging them, tears streaming down her face. With difficulty, a small drop of blood came running from the corner of her mouth, the young Miko got up, but before she had time to react, she found herself pinned violently against the wall by on of the demons, the air knocked out of her lungs. After a moment, her hands flew to catch the wrist of the clawed hand currently tight around her throat. She was trying desperately to make him release her. The only thing that was currently running through her mind was that she had to stop them, or they would kill him. She had to save Sesshomaru. The hold on her throat tighted even more, the claws piercing her delicate skin. She made a strangled sound, oxygen lacking in her body and brain.

The demon that was currently holding the young Miko against the dirty moist wall bent down until their noses were almost touching before opening his mouth to speak.

"Stay out of this, human, it's the best thing you can do for yourself right now. Or we could forget that our Lord wants to deal personally with you later,... " He smirked at her, his putrid breath going directly to Kagome's nostrils. If she wasn't suffocating, she would have gagged at the disgusting smell. "You wouldn't want to be killed prematurely, would you, woman?"

He laughed darkly down at her, her scent clouding with fear. He relaxed his hold so she could breathe but didn't release her fully, and turned his head to enjoy the spectacle of what was happening a few feet away.

Kagome took several deep, very needed, breaths. She could feel blood running along her neck and inside her top from the demon's claws. She knew that he wouldn't hesitate or even blink to snap her neck if she insisted or made a wrong move.

She couldn't move her body, but she turned her head slightly just enough to see the demon Lord and the two other youkais in the corner of her eyes. She whimpered at what she saw. Sesshomaru was been beaten to a bloody pulp just there, a few feet away from her, but she couldn't do a thing to stop them. It was killing her, not being able to help him. It was like a crime against Mother Nature herself. An insult, to see a creature as proud as the demon Lord of the West being treated as a vulgar criminal, like a punching bag, forbidden and unable to defend himself. There wasn't an inch of honor in those monsters.

Fear was gripping her heart in a vice like hold. They weren't holding back on their punches at all. On the contrary, from what they had learned earlier, the chains were draining almost all of his youkai from him. The small part that wasn't, was used to heal his previous, more serious, injuries. That meant that Sesshomaru was left without much strength. Not given any more resistance than a human, or as close as he could get.

Not a sound, other than an involuntary grunt here and there when the punch was really hard, was escaping the DaiYoukai as hits were raining down on him. He was too proud to give them the satisfaction of hearing that it was hurting him.

Right now, his head was bent low. He wasn't growling anymore.

The word fear wasn't powerful enough to express what Kagome was feeling right now as she witnessed was happening in front of her. She wanted to close her eyes so as not to see the obvious pain inflicted to Sesshomaru. However, some irrational fear was gripping her heart, as if when she would dare to close her eyes, the demon Lord would disappear. _If they continue like that, they will kill him! Oh Kami please, make them stop_. She whimpered to herself mentally.

As if someone had heard her plea, the salvation words escaped her captor mouth.

"It's enough."

After one or two much punches, they stopped. Then, they released the chains, taking them with them, the spell keeping Sesshomaru pinned on the cell's wall.

The two tormentors of Sesshomaru exited from the cell, leaving only Kagome's captor inside with them. The yellowish youkai turned his bulbous eyes towards the Miko in his hold. One more time, he bent down towards her face, stopping only when his disgusting lips were almost touching her ear and whispered.

"If you do what our Lord wants, maybe you will suffer less or maybe even live rather peacefully."

"L..Lord?" She said in a voice she had difficulty recognizing as her own. It was laced with pitiful sounds and hoarse gasps from her near strangled neck.

He smirked at her. "You know him really well Miko, since you seem to want the same object."

She looked at him for a second, confused to the meaning of his words and who he was calling a Lord. Then, something clicked in her mind and her earlier fear transformed in an irrational anger. So much anger that she'd burned his hand, making him release her throat in a hiss. Sesshomaru, still barely conscious, looked towards them by the corner of his eyes, still unable to move, but aware of what was happening around him.

The anger that was literally boiling in her veins and all over her body, transformed her blood in fire and made her skin release some purifying powers, attacking whoever was touching her. This surge of power was making her eyes flash.

She firmly said with a venom in her voice that would have shocked anyone, who knew the sweet girl as she really was, to no end. "If your so-called _'Lord' _is Naraku, you can say to that fake hanyou that he can put that up his ass and crawl back the hell back to where his sorry ass belongs. I will never help him with the jewel shards or anything else for the matter."

All mirth disappeared instantly from the demon eyes. He slapped her, hard, sending her to the floor once again. The blow was so violent that a light crack was heard when her lower jaw snapped back up to her upper jaw.

She looked up from her position on the ground, glaring up at him. More blood was running from the inside of her mouth and her lip was torn open slightly, but her fury was still evident under the surface and in her eyes. Her head was spinning by the force of the blow. You could clearly see that she was fighting her own body to maintain her hard front when all her body wanted was to pass out. But she would not. Not in front of this bastard.

The youkai growled lowly at her but left the cell.

A few seconds after that, the door was slapped close, and Sesshomaru was released from his position up the wall. But he was a little tired from all the hits he received and caught himself just in time to not finish on the hard ground like the young Miko.

He, even when beaten, was aware of what was happening around him and had witnessed the exchange between the woman and the youkai, silently again impressed by the determination that was heating up her blood.

However, something wasn't right. The demon Lord was pretty sure that the onna wasn't there only for the jewel shards. It was too simple. He clearly heard the allusions, and he even saw that disturbing twinkle in the eyes of the dark Hanyou when looking at the young Miko. The very idea of the way he was leering at her made him sick to his guts. Sesshomaru didn't think that Kagome had the least idea of what was playing in the deranged mind of the Hanyou. She must be really gullible and did not understood what was going on but he sure wasn't. There weren't any 'holy' thoughts in his twisted mind when he almost disrobed the onna with his shinning dirty crimson eyes. _Disgusting_.

Nevertheless, he decided not to voice his finding to the woman. Having her in a panicked state right now wouldn't serve any purpose… and it wasn't his problem but hers.

With a lot of difficulties, Kagome get up anew. Apparently, it felt like the truck from the previous day came back and passed on her a couple more times for fun… or may be a bus, she didn't really have the time to see what came down on her. When, with the help of the wall, she was able to stay on her two feet, she padded slowly towards the beaten up demon Lord lost in his thoughts. She couldn't prevent the few tears from coming in her eyes at the spectacle in front of her.

"Sesshomaru? You alright?" She asked softly, her voice still not returned to normal.

That was the most ridiculous thing someone had asked him… ok may be not the most, the Palm was for his stupid brother. But still. He'd been beaten up, of course he wasn't alright. When he looked up at her, he couldn't believe what he saw. She received hits for trying to stop what they were doing to him when she could have got out unscarred. _Stupid ningen_. Again he was confused by her way of thinking. No, make that reacting, had the onna thought she wouldn't have done anything.

With some hesitations, he sat down against the wall before answering her. "This Sesshomaru will be fine Miko." He said in a as quiet atone as her.

"Let me help you." She told him, with a soft voice like a caress.

He looked up at her but couldn't bring himself to turn her down when he saw the pleading face she was doing and the blood still running to her chin. He sighed internally and nodded. He though that if she willingly helped, he would heal quicker and use less of his youkai powers. That way, he would be better prepared when they came back.

She smiled lightly at him and went to take what was their plate earlier to bring water closer to them. Sesshomaru positioned himself cross legged against the wall when she kneeled down in front of him. Slowly, with a lot of care, she bent towards him and started to cleanse his new injuries.

She was really close to him and that way he could clearly see the bruises and drying blood on her delicate skin.

.

Without thinking, he took the cloth from her hands and started to clean her bloody face and neck.

The young Miko froze. To say that Kagome was shocked again was an understatement. Pink crawled up her cheeks. Sesshomaru didn't say anything, but somewhere within himself he was shocked too. It was as if something pushed him to do, even if little, this gesture in return. Never in his long life somebody had done something like what she did for him. Never had someone tried to help him that way, if you didn't count the little tries of Rin, but it wasn't the same.

He reached up and pressed delicately to not hurt her further a claw finger on her cheek. She winced at the touch.

"You shouldn't have done that." He said with his characteristic unemotional deep baritone voice.

"But I couldn't really watch without trying to do something. And look at what they did to you!"

He looked at her troubled eyes. "Hn."

She resumed her cleansing of his injuries, when, after a moment, the scent of salty water reached his sensible nostrils.

"Miko."

She bent down her head and spoke softly. "I'm sorry Sesshomaru."

Now, the demon Lord was at a complete lost. _Why was she excusing herself to this Sesshomaru exactly?_, he though, puzzled.

Not aware of the confusion she caused to the Lord of the West, Kagome looked up at him, tears running now freely on her cheeks. A sob escaped her lip that she couldn't stop, barely aware she had let it out. "I'm sorry. I couldn't stop them."

Now he understood her problem. She was blaming herself for what they did to him. That was the stupidest idea she had said since their capture.

Her reaction had two different effects on him. On one hand, the bigger part of him, felt offended that she was implying that he was unable to protect himself, as if he was just a little pup again. Even if it's difficult to admit even to himself, she helped him quite well with the poison and his injuries earlier but that didn't mean that he needed her. He could take care of himself just fine, and it's not a little beating up that will change that. He had already been through worse than that. The very idea of him needing a human to protect him was the most ridiculous and insulting thing you could imply about the Dai Youkai.

On another hand, in a very tiny part of himself, even if the act was stupid in his mind, he was somewhat a little touched that she tried to stop them from hurting him. He, who was an enemy, even if they are in a sort of truce right now.

He knew that she didn't do that with in mind that he couldn't take care of himself in reality. It was just in her character to not support seeing anyone get hurt in her presence, she had to stop them or try to. He wasn't sure anymore if it was one of her real weaknesses or something else. But even if it wasn't her intention, somewhere his male pride was injured by the idea of being protected by a woman. And a human woman at that.

She was looking so pitiful, her sobs racking her body. He reached up and put his clawed hand on the top of her head, like he had often done to his little ward. He wouldn't do more. It was already a lot for someone supposedly as uncaring as the demon Lord of the West. But her display was somehow disturbing for the Dai Youkai.

Kagome looked up at him in the eyes a second, then smiled one of her brighter smiles at him. _So much like Rin_, he though absently. He really preferred to see her that way than crying. He shook his head, banning his last thoughts away for his mind.

Then he took back his position against the wall and closed his amber pools, dismissing her once again.

When he had put his hand on her head, Kagome knew that he wasn't blaming her for what had happened. She was so happy that if he hadn't moved she would have jumped on him and hugged him. _Good thing that he moved, or he would have transformed me into mince for dogs_. She had to suppress a giggle from escaping her at the image and brushed her tears away.

She took a place against the wall too, not too close but not far, just in case. At that moment, she was glad of the difference between the two Inu brothers. Even if she saw in his mesmerizing eyes that it wasn't sitting well with him that she tried to defend him, he didn't lash out at her for trying, like would have done InuYasha. Somewhere he saw that she wasn't implying that he couldn't take care of himself, but they had incapacitated him to, put it plainly, torture him. That didn't mean that he would let her repeat the experience in the future. In another situation, she would have let him beat them without even blinking, those bastards. InuYasha, him, wouldn't have grasped that. She wouldn't say that he was a little dumb but his male ego was bigger than the United States! Or even better Russia! ( :P ) That could be really infuriating sometimes, and each times it's the same. If she wanted to help him in his stupid brain, he deduced that she thought of him weak. What a pathetic reasoning was that! Or may be that's where the problem was : he isn't thinking. Damn arrogant dogs!

It was really troubling to see that Sesshomaru could understand her better than her friend she had been with for years, but she didn't want to dwell on it anylonger.

Sensing the tiredness enveloped her, she slid down and lied on the ground, trying to be in the most comfortable possible before closing her eyes. In a few minutes, darkness took her away to a place of sunshine.

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End of the chapter 6.

Hope you like it! :D

I wanted to thank **'Theresa'** who had been the beta for this story until recently. Thank you girl, you had been of great help, hope that everything will be fine in your busy life.

I want to particularly thank '**inspire 16'** for having accepted to continue with me this adventure and for her beta-work on this story. She is doing an incredible job, so thanks a lot. Thanks to her, a slightly edited version of the chapters previously posted will be on soon. So everyone, thank "**inspire 16**" !! :)

Thanks too for all of you guys that had stopped by and let me a small message. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I love you all!

Well, my distribution of flowers is finished (grin) so I will be on my way.

'night.

Laters,

Sweetest Angel


	7. Chapter 7 : Humans are weak

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Chapter 7

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A few hours later, the DaiYoukai of the West slowly opened his amber pools. As soon as he had been awoken, his senses were on high alert to any danger around. It was only when he was sure that no one besides him and the human were in the room that he let the world know that he was awake.

When his eyes fell on the little form of the onna that was sharing the cell with him, he saw that she was still asleep. He could clearly see shivers running her body from time to time. The soil was hard ,not at all suited for the weak human's body to be comfortable enough to sleep and with the humidity around… The great Sesshoumaru sighed inaudibly. With the luck he had these past days, she would fall in illness.

Humans are really pathetic creatures. Sometimes, it's a wonder how their species had survived that long. Really, they are weak minded and have more emotions that they can analyze and contain, which is another mark of their inferiority. They have weak bodies that can break with nothing, take far too long to heal when and if they are able to, and fall ill easily. If they don't have weapons with them, they are even more defenseless than a small pup. Their bodies aren't adapted at all to survive in the world. They aren't naturally equipped for defending oneself. No really, it's a miracle that they had survived this long already.

With ease, Sesshoumaru sat up and looked down at himself. He wasn't bleeding anymore and his injuries were already closed up. A few more hours and he would be as good as new. At least, even if his pride wasn't that happy about it, to have let the miko take care of his injuries wasn't such a bad idea after all.

He got up and walked towards the container of water. At least, he wasn't chained at the wall like a vulgar animal anymore. He could walk around now. He went to take a drink and came back towards the wall he was sitting against a moment ago.

He looked up to watch the strange sheets fitted in the stone wall. He reached up with his one clawed hand but stopped before touching it. He could easily feel the holy powers that were coming from them. The demon Lord of the West was asking himself how someone like Naraku had been able to convince a Miko or a Monk to help and work for him in his crazy plans of his. That was yet another enigma.

Sesshoumaru was sure that the dark hanyou couldn't have done it by himself. The highest of holy powers was beyond his reach and highly improbable even for the uncontrollable hanyou. And he was almost as sure that even if he was using the power of the damned jewel shards, he couldn't have created an incarnate able to do that or imitate it either.

Where Naraku could have found some human with holy powers crazy enough to work for him? It wasn't making any sense at all for the demon Lord.

Sesshoumaru was sure that it was a Miko or maybe a Monk, in other words a simple human. A sorcerer couldn't have done that even if in an attempt to imitate real holy powers. That was leaving the demon Lord of the West perplexed. And he didn't like when he hadn't the response at his inner interrogations immediately. However, apparently, for now it seemed, he would have all the time needed to resolve this little mystery.

Still lost in thoughts, Sesshoumaru reached up to the collar around his neck. He could feel the youki print faintly in it now and with the putrid smell of the hanyou was still lingering in the air from his last 'visit', he could put two and two together. Naraku was the one who created his piece of metal and had infused his own youki in it.

Sesshoumaru snarled angrily at having anything with the dark hanyou print on his person and worse, that the hanyou had the powers to restrain someone as powerful as himself. But he was even angrier with himself for not having been able to recognize earlier the disgusting touch, even if it was faint, of one of the two hanyous he hated the most. He tried to smooth his already fragile nerves with the fact that, with the chains around him and the poisons in his bloodstream, he had had been left with close to nothing of his youki powers and that was the only reason why he hadn't been able to detect the traces of Naraku's essence.

On the other hand, he should have known. Who else than the devious Naraku could have been twisted enough to trap in the same cell a demon Lord and his half-brother's Miko?! It was a bad joke, a torture of new sort that could have been imagined only by the defectively twisted mind of the dark hanyou.

Ok, maybe he was over exaggerating. He had to give the young woman some justice even if only in the confines of his mind. For a human, she had some… acceptable traits. But she had others that were so infuriating that he had to stop himself from pouncing on her, reaching with his only clawed hand, also partly due to the wench, and strangle the life out of her to make his ordeal more acceptable. Ok, he wasn't totally honest with himself but the idea had enough merit to be seducing. She wasn't that bad and even if that had thrown a serious blow at his precious pride, she had been of some use earlier.

He was still looking at the wall and thinking about the Miko made him think back to the strange magnet theory she had babbled about earlier. His amber eyes narrowed in slits at his thoughts. He wasn't nearly as stupid or gullible as the onna seemed to think. He had detected the change in her scent and had clearly heard the hesitation when she had tried to explain from where her theory was coming from. Some curious 'hometown' and unknown to him…

He didn't know what that meant but he would find out when the time came. When curiosities caught his interest, and there weren't that many that did, Sesshoumaru was unable to let it slip. He had to know. It was visceral.

Yes, one of the rare 'flaws' of the demon Lord of the West was his insatiable curiosity. And from little of what he had been able to glean during the years of their crossing paths in the hunt of the dark hanyou, so was his companion of misfortune.

The question was why were they really there exactly, and the more important matter, how would they get out? The worst part, the most frustrating part for the demon Lord was that even if he had some clues for the first question, he had no idea and was totally in the dark for the second. That was what was infuriating Sesshoumaru to no end. And the worst of the worst part was that he would probably have to work in tandem with the Miko. That wasn't sitting well with the demon Lord at all. A demon Lord of his stature shouldn't have any use of a pathetic weak human.

He sat down against the wall anew, pondering of what little things he had in his hands to help him to get the hell out of this cell. Besides the puppet of Naraku, since the coward of a hanyou would never show his despicable face for real, of that Sesshoumaru was sure, there were three youkai. Sesshoumaru had extended his aura earlier when he had awakened, but he was unable to 'feel' anything outside of this damned cell. And the spell that was working supposedly as a 'magnet' as the Miko put it, he hadn't the slightest idea of how it was working. How were they able to activate it each time just a moment before coming in? If he could discover this piece of information, maybe he could be able to find a way to deactivate it or alter it. So, the next time they would walk in, they would have the surprise of their lives, Sesshoumaru though evilly, a smirk growing on his usually impassive but angelic face, at the possible blood bath that was playing in his mind.

But it would not be easy. Sesshoumaru was sure of that point because he hadn't, ever in his life, encounter or heard of this kind of spell mixing youkai and purity magic. The difficult part was that the pieces that were on him he could touch but he was unable to remove, when he can't even touch the ones on the wall due to the concentrated holy powers in it.

In the case of the Miko, it was the exact opposite.

For the moment, Sesshoumaru couldn't think of a rapid way to get out. He would have to wait and observe. There must have a flaw in this plan of theirs, there was always one. He couldn't stay indefinitely trapped there when the Western Lands need its protector. He had just to be patient, wait and see.

Something was telling him that the human would have an important role in their escape plan.

He gazed down at the laying form of the young woman when he detected the change of the rate of her heart's beating. Great, now that she was awakening what will happen? The girl, besides being a 'magnet' to problems, had proved to be quite impervious to the demon Lord. It has been that way since the first time they had came face to face when he went to face his half-breed of brother to seek the Black Pearl, the entry of the Great InuTaisho's grave, deceased Lord of the West, where the Tessaiga had been hidden and was patiently awaiting for its new owner. He should have known that day that something was off about that particular human, other than her clothes. Even more when she was the one to pull out the fang, survived his poison claw attack and gave the precious heirloom to InuYasha.

She could appear fearful during battle, even if with a courageous front. But when protecting the members of her pack, the fear literally leave her body, often replaced by anger but bravery too. If someone she cared about was in danger, she could become a dangerous opponent, and the dark hanyou knows that, even the demon Lord himself must admit this fact. She was a real mystery.

It was despicable that a simple human female had more honor and intelligence in her weak body that the hanyou who is supposed to have some of his father's blood running his veins. That was the ultimate insult for their clan, his clan. Better not go there or the demon Lord would not be responsible for his action.

He looked without great interest as Kagome slowly was coming back from dreamland to the harsh reality of their imprisonment. She groaned pitifully and tried to ease her poor hurting back, making her bones pop. It was making clear that his previous thoughts about how pathetic and weak humans really were being proved.

Vaguely, Sesshoumaru though back at the way she had reacted to his beating. Never had someone ever cried for the sake of the cold and distant DaiYoukai. It had left a strange sensation in the hard heart of the demon Lord. If she wasn't human, it could have meant something but it had to be InuYasha's wench of all people!!

He saw her slowly sitting up with difficulties, her mind still foggy from her sleep apparently, and rubbing her eyes with her wrists like a little child. If Sesshoumaru wasn't who he was, he would have found it cute.

Apparently, she had forgotten where she was before succumbing to the darkness because she was looking around with a trace of curiosity and confusion at her surroundings before that the reality came back crashing on her like a ton of bricks. Her shoulders dropped instantly. No, it wasn't just a nightmare. During that time, Sesshoumaru had stayed as still as a statue.

Kagome reached up with one of her hands towards her face and winced when she made contact with the injured flesh of her face. As if she suddenly remembered in what situation she had received those marks, she turned around and came face to face with cold golden eyes. She rapidly scanned his body to see if he was alright when she realized that something was missing. The chains weren't there anymore. Immediately, unease flowed in her veins at the implication that it could be for her. She subconsciously gulped. _What will he do to me now that he is free?_ She thought fearfully.

« G-good morning. » She said timidly.

But her answer was a more heavy silence. It was unnerving. He was just sitting there and looking at her without even blinking. She decided to try again, fidgeting at the intensity of his bored amber pools on her petite person. She knew now what the gazelle was going through when she came face to face with the lion. An incontrollable shiver ran her spine. It was even more evident for the young woman: Sesshoumaru was a predator. Even if she was supposed to be one too in the food chains of life, she was feeling more like an innocent and terrified little mouse right now, a poor pathetically defenseless prey.

« Did you sleep a little? How are you? Feeling better? Are all your wounds totally healed already? »

Still nothing. That was grating on Kagome's nerves severely. He wouldn't have to even bat an eye to make her die if he continued with his intense staring like that.

But before she had the time to point out his rude behavior a pain had awoken in her lower region. She passed her hand on her belly and stomach, whimpering.

When she looked up, Sesshoumaru's gaze was still on her but his eyes were flashing with curiosity well hidden in a sea of boredom.

« I… » She started but stopped and flushed from embarrassent, she couldn't say it. That time, the demon Lord's curiosity was picked and raised an eyebrow in silent question. If she was ill, even if when sniffing the air he couldn't detect the traces, she had to tell him. The idea of her putrefying body as companion of cell wasn't that much joyful.

« I need to use the bathroom. » She whispered, only slightly audible, even with his accurate ears. The eyebrow went higher signifying clearly that he was puzzled at the sense of her answer.

« I need to pee, ok ? » She said more forcefully than necessary. « It's been close to two days. I think that I didn't pee and it's hurting badly. What can I do? » She asked, clearly embarrassed with the situation at hand.

« It's not this Sesshoumaru problem. Go release yourself. » His baritone voice boomed. He turned his head slightly signaling her dismissal.

Kagome was frozen, mortified and pale as linen. _Surely, he isn't implying what I think he is_. She thought frantically.

« I can't pee in front of you! » She all but screamed, not seeing Sesshoumaru wincing at the blow to his sensitive hearing.

He started to growl. « Keep your voice low or I will force you to… permanently. » He said angrily, resisting the urge to massage his abused appendages.

« I-I'm sorry for yelling but I can't do that with you here with me. » She said more quietly.

« Then release on yourself. »

Kagome knew that she had no choice. She doubted that if she asked nicely to Naraku, he will let her out to avoid this humiliation. She sighed and looked around. There wasn't any place reserved to this usage in this cell with them. But she knew that she had to or she will do very soon where she stood. She looked around then spotted the 'perfect' place. She bit her bottom lip anxiously.

« Mhm, Sesshoumaru…? » She all but whispered. « Can you, can you turn around, please? »

He looked back at her, offended and angry that she could imply that he would find any interest at watching her pee. He growled low in the back of his throat, really pissed.

Kagome's eyes opened wide. « I didn't mean you will look, it's just… It will help if you could turn around for minute, for my own sake. Please, Sesshoumaru. »

He looked at her a moment then turned his head in the opposite direction. « Thank you. » Kagome said quietly, knowing that she will not obtain more from the demon Lord.

She settled herself not far away from the water container and did what she had to do. She was glancing furtively from time to time in Sesshoumaru direction to reassure herself that he wasn't seeing anything. She had noticed that the container was overflowing and that the water had a little stream that went towards one of the corner of the cell and disappeared underground there. She had though that at least, the smell and her pee will go away with the water. It was at least, a positive point. They didn't know how long they will stay in there and the idea of staying with the odor of ammonia really long wasn't seducing at all.

When she finished, she put her panties back on and her skirt, and went to wash her hands. Then, she went back to sit against the wall, close to Sesshoumaru, but not too much.

The silence was really heavy during long minutes, Kagome still embarrassed to have to pee in the same place with the Lord of the West, InuYasha' oh so loving big brother. To her surprise, it was the DaiYoukai in question that ended the silence.

« 'Not even real hanyou'. »

« Hm ? » Silently thanking Sesshoumaru and all the Kamis possible for his interruption.

He growled a little, annoyed to have to explain himself to anyone and worse a human female. « It is what you said about the dark hanyou. »

She cocked her head in question, trying to remember when she could have said that sentence. Then it clicked in her mind. « Oh, that. »

« Indeed. »

But when she still didn't answer his inquiry, he fixed his intense gaze on her person, knowing that she will not resist much longer, having often from what he had collected, difficulties to resist under that kind of pressure. She looked at him, fidgeting under his scrutinizing gaze. But she sighed, knowing that he wouldn't let the matter until he had his answer. She didn't particularly wish to speak about that but maybe it would prove to the demon Lord that she was more useful, even for someone like him, alive than dead. At least, she hoped so.

« Ok. » She said resigned. « Do you know how and why InuYasha was pinned on the sacred tree? »

« The dead Miko. » He said, impassible after a second.

« Hai, but it isn't all. » Now, the interest of Sesshoumaru was picked again. He never knew how exactly his stupid half-brother ended up on the tree. He had heard that it was in connection with the Miko wench. The fact that InuYasha was pinned to a tree by a mortal, even if insulting for his blood line, wasn't what was interesting the Lord of the West. But to hear how really stupid the half-breed was, even if he hadn't any doubt on the matter, and how was enough entertainment to pass time.

« When… when Kikyo was alive, fifty and some years ago, she helped a thief in a cave not a lot away from the village close to what is called now InuYasha's forest. He was badly burned, barely alive. She knew that no one would help him and care for his injuries and people would be angered against her if they knew so she kept it secret from almost everyone. His name was Onigumo.

He was lusting after her but she had gently pushed away his advances because of InuYasha. That angered the thief to no end and his jealousy and dementedness grew. Then he let hundreds of low youkai fuse with his body.

In result, as well as having a new effective body, he was able to take the appearance of other people. So he attacked Kikyo looking as InuYasha and did the same to your brother…er sorry, half-brother.

Kikyo was injured, mortally, and she pinned InuYasha at that tree, keeping him between life and death, in her vengeance, using the last of her energies. »

Kagome paused in her story and looked up at Sesshoumaru in the eyes after a deep breath and continued. « When the thief had accepted to be devoured away by the low youkai, Onigumo disappeared… and became Naraku. »

The young Miko then avoided his inquisitive eyes, not at ease with the subject. A silence fell on them as Sesshoumaru was pondering the information the human had given him. But something wasn't right.

« If he is responsible for her death, why is the undead miko helping the hanyou? » His voice not showing his real interest under his bore tone.

Kagome smiled bitterly without looking up. « When she came back to this plane by Urusae's magic, she wanted only one thing: kill InuYasha to make him pay for her death.

She didn't believe at first that it wasn't InuYasha who had attacked her all those years ago. Now, she understands but she still wishes to drag your brother in Hell with her.

InuYasha can't seem to see past the old image he had of her of when she was alive. »

« And the link with the Jewel. »

« I can see the shards. They are calling for me like if they want to be part of me again. Apparently, I was born with the Jewel inside of me, but I had learned of that only at my fifteenth birthday when it was bitten off of my side by a youkai obsessed by its powers. The Jewel had been incinerated with the body of Kikyo when she had died. I'm… I'm Kikyo's reincarnation. If the spell of Urusae had worked in its entirety and I didn't succeed in calling back most of my soul, I would be dead by now and Kikyo would be a living human again controlled by the magic of the youkai that had revived her. Right now, Kikyo is able to walk in the living world because she is carrying a part of my soul in her clay body. »

She looked at the amber pools of the demon Lord and could clearly see that he had others questions.

« Hm, I'm tired. We will speak of that later if you wish and have others questions. » She whispered softly. It was as if speaking of that had drained the onna. He watched her laying back down on the hard ground and closed her eyes.

He had seen that it was a dangerous and dolorous ground for the young woman in the cell, trapped with him. He would let the matter for now, but he would have his answers later. That was really the first time something caught his interest that much in quite some time.

_So she is the reincarnation of the walking corpse. How had she reincarnated so rapidly? How did she gain part of this alive version of the Miko she was exactly?_

_By the hurting look she had when speaking of all of this, there must be something more to it. She didn't want people to know some details about herself_. _Hn._

Sesshoumaru was angry with himself for being so curious about the human and his brother's life but he couldn't stop himself even if he tried.

His half-brother was truly stupid. He was hurting the one who is on his side and would do everything for him for a dead one that had already betrayed him on more than one occasion. Even he could see the deceit in the cold eyes of the undead one and so much life and love to give in the alive one. And he didn't even know everything still.

« InuYasha you truly are a fool. »


	8. Chapter 8 : Bore

Hello everyone!

So here the chapter 8, hope you will enjoy it!

Though, I wanted to warn you that this chapter would be one of the last 'calm' of this part of the story…In the next chapter, you will finally learn what Naraku exactly want…I'm sure some of you have ideas but you will have to wait a little more and I hope no one will hate me when you will read what he had in mind for the young Miko…it's not for little children!

Well, for now, here the chap 8!!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha…strange, I think I heard the exact same words before… :P

Anyways, me praying all night hadn't change a thing, all the characters of InuYasha are not mine…I just own for this story the three yellowish ugly youkai shudder Not that I want them!

Thank you to 'Frizz' again for the beta help! :D

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**Chapter 8**

**Bore**

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Sesshomaru was still sitting as comfortably as you could get in that kind of situation, against the wall, lost in thought. One of his knees was raised so he could repose his one and only arm on it as he was silently marveling at how much a human, and particularly this human, could sleep.

I mean, he may not be around all the time but he was pretty sure that the girl was sleeping longer and more often than Rin! And his ward was just a child! Ok, he mused, maybe it was all the hits she had received on her pretty little head that had damaged something up there but really, it wasn't natural to sleep that much.

Yes, you have guessed right, the demon Lord of the West was bored beyond imagination. What other explication could you gave to explain why someone like Sesshomaru would suddenly find interest in the sleeping habits of humans? Right, you see the point, there wasn't any, beside that he was really bored and needed something, anything, to do to prevent his eminent death of boredom to happen.

After all, there isn't very much that oneself can do while sitting around for hours on end in a small dark cell. One more reason to find a way to get the Hell out of here as soon as possible: so he would not die from boredom or end up totally crazy.

After watching her sleeping peacefully for some minutes, the DaiYoukai came to the conclusion that, for the first time of his long life, he was envying a little something about an inferior creature as his human cell companion: in their condition, sleeping as much as her wouldn't be a waste. If he was sleeping as much, he wouldn't see the time dragging that slowly and wouldn't be that bored.

The powerful Lord of the West sighed inaudibly. He couldn't believe what he was about to do and would deny with all he was worth that it had never happened if someone was to ask him.

With his foot, he nudged the woman on her leg to try to wake her.

No, of course it wasn't because he was bored out of his mind and was craving for any distraction, like the human was the only one able to provide for him right now. It was more like to verify that she was still alive. Yes, that's it. To stay close to her decaying body wasn't appealing and it was his only reason. The problem was that she didn't even bulge. Sesshomaru then nudged her a little more forcefully, starting to get aggrieved by her lack of cooperation.

Stupid humans, never taking the hint of the rarest moment they could be useful.

That time, Kagome moved but it wasn't the result he was hoping. Sesshomaru found himself rather offended when she turned around, without waking, mumbling something under her breath really quietly, but that was all too clear for the sensitive youkai hearing of the demon Lord, "Five more minutes, Mom."

Sesshomaru eyes flashed red for a second in his anger and growled low in his throat. _How dare she?!_ He thought while trying to stop himself from pouncing on her and pulling a limb or two from her body savagely to make her pay for her blatant disrespect of his person and position, which was highly above her and her 'mom'. He succeeded to gain some reign on his anger when he noted that she was still sleeping and then couldn't know that it was a superior being that had tried to rouse her pathetic self. Nodding to himself, Sesshoumaru succeeded to calm down a bit.

"Girl, I'm in no way your mother." He growled out as he was kicking her again, rather forcefully to prove his point.

This time, as if she had received an electric shock when his familiar cold voice had passed through her foggy mind, she woke up in a start and turned her big brown eyes towards him, her shinning pools showing clearly her mortification at what she had unconsciously done. _Good. She, at least, knows her place,_ thought the still angered demon Lord.

She was about to apologize, praying mentally for the Kamis to be merciful and save her from the anger of the DaiYoukai, when, as on a cue, Sesshomaru found himself pinned against the wall before he could blink.

Kagome gasped and was trying to get up as rapidly as she could when the door of the cell was slammed open and two of their captors walked in. It wasn't what she had in mind when she asked to be saved from the anger of Sesshomaru!

Sesshomaru snarled angrily at the new addition in their little cell. But his reaction only elicited smiles in the hideous faces of their captors.

"Calm down, 'my Lord', we aren't here for you this time," The ugly thing, aka one of the youkais that was keeping them locked down there, said while smiling evilly.

Immediately understanding of the meaning of his words rose up in the DaiYoukai's mind. Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped towards the human girl that was currently trying to crawl away from them. When she was at reasonable distance from them, she jumped on her feet and stood between them and Sesshomaru, ready this time around to defend him if necessary.

If they were there for her, she would keep them away from the demon Lord as best she could.

But they only laughed at her attempt, saying that it was hilarious to see a human Miko standing in protection of a DaiYoukai human-hater, who wouldn't even blink if he so choose to kill her.

The one, standing closer to her, chuckled darkly while walking towards her prone form. She tried to resist even with her puny sore muscles but he was more powerful that her by all means and caught her by the hair, snapping her head forcefully up and to the side, before she could do anything.

She had her head turned in his direction, so Sesshomaru could see her eyes wide open in terror as a whimper escaped her lips. The youkai bent down forwards her ear and spoke sweetly to her, sending terror-filled shivers through her, "Hey girly, want to come to play with us a little?"

There wasn't any mistake in what he was implying by 'play'. Her eyes, even when her body was shaking in fright at the meaning that was obviously hiding behind his words, narrowed in disgust. She wouldn't let them do all they wanted to while sitting gently in their grasp. _No way in Hell! _She was shooting forcefully in her mind, her fear only adding to her resolution and anger.

But before she could do anything, like using her powers, they placed something cold to the touch around her neck. She hadn't had the time to react because she hadn't known their intention before she felt it close around her neck. Her fear increased another notch and she struggled with renewed vigor as they obliged her roughly to stand while facing the door.

This time, she froze when she saw what or rather who was there at the embrasure of the door.

Naraku, in all his splendor, was standing there, smiling down at her. He said that today she was going out of the cell, leering shamelessly and openly at her body. He glanced up, not so discretely towards Sesshomaru before turning around and walking out.

Sesshomaru snarled when he saw the way the hanyou had looked at his cell's companion, confirming him in what he had from the beginning suspected was the intention of the dark hanyou. This time though, he wasn't the only one to have detected the devious gaze. The girl was now a little less clueless of what was happening around her. She had seen how he looked at her and that couldn't be mistaken for anything. It was as if he was about to eat her whole at the first opportunity he will have.

The furious and disgusted reaction of the demon Lord made the retracting form of the dark hanyou smirk.

The two ugly demons pulled, none too gently, the kicking and screaming Kagome out. The Lord of the West saw her petrified gaze fall on him for a second before she was pulled away, out of his sight. His inner beast pulled at its chains, wishing to tear them limb by limb to erase the image of the horror-filled face of the girl from his mind.

Naraku reappeared at the door, back to rile the demon Lord a little more. He faked that he was thinking deeply but he couldn't stop the smirk from growing slowly but surely on his lips with his next words.

"Ah, she's such a fiery little thing. But don't worry, I will take good care of her and make good use of her surplus of energy."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes in disgust at the clear and unmistakable implication of his declaration, his amber pools flashing red in his anger. Naraku just chuckled darkly, his crimson eyes twinkling with a devious light. Then the door was closed again behind him.

Sesshomaru tried to release himself from his bindings, but stopped rapidly, knowing that it was useless. He couldn't do a thing as Kagome's frighten eyes were playing in his mind again.

He didn't really understand why that incontrollable rage had taken over his body. It wasn't that he cared what Naraku and his minions were going to do to her weak human body. But the fact to see Kagome really frightened for the first time was strangely a disturbing image, even for the cold demon Lord. Even when she had faced him in the past, never had he seen her so scared.

Sesshomaru could feel his inner beast pulling furiously at its chains, growling viciously in the direction that the dark hanyou had taken. He was really taken aback by his beast's reaction to a simple human's fear, worse, InuYasha's wench.

The very idea of what Naraku could have in mind for her sent shivers down the spine of the DaiYoukai.

He didn't really understand the why but he put his reaction under the motive that if Naraku succeeded in his plans to break her, in one side, that would prove again his previous theories of how much humans are really weak, but in another side, if the hanyou succeed in breaking her spirit or her body, he will be short of one Miko for his planned escape scenario. Broken, she would be of no use for him.

At that moment, Sesshomaru realized that some time had passed but they weren't releasing him from the wall, yet. _Curious._

After a moment, now that his beast had resigned itself at sitting down and wait while still growling lowly, Sesshomaru returned to his previous state: absolutely bored.

Worst this time, there isn't any bubbling human woman to keep him entertained...and he was pinned again on the wall.

The fact that his half-breed of a brother had been in a situation slightly similar wasn't sitting well with him: if you changed the wall tp a tree and the one pinning him here not his enemy but his own traitorous bitch,...the similarity was rather ironic, if you take into account that he had ridiculed InuYasha about that for the last few years. It was not at all to his liking. At least he had been captured like that by the enemy, not his own supposed lover, and his shame wasn't exposed to the outside world, for anyone to see.

Sesshomaru eyes' flashed, angry at himself. He was thinking way too much of his brother for the last couple of days.

Vaguely, unable to stop himself, Sesshomaru started to wonder if he would ever see her again, and what would be left of the joyful innocent woman. If he was to never see her again, he would have to find a way to get out without the added plus that were her spiritual powers.

The future didn't seem really attractive...

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...

_Change scene_

...

The green forest at the entry of Edo was calm, peaceful. Not a trace of problem seemed to lurk around there at the moment. The savage animals were munching some herbs peacefully or ready to pounce on another. The birds were chirping happily. All in all, it seemed to be as heavenly as you can get on the Earth, in a forest on Feudal Era.

Then, rustle of leaves could be heard and something red and silver was jumping up there, on the canopy, from tree to tree, with great speed and agility. His silver hair was flying behind him with the wind. He was just a blur of red and silver. He passed along the clearing of the Bones Eater Well without stopping or even slowing. It wasn't his destination. She must already be in the village, waiting.

Strangely, his heart was beating more rapidly than usual. Well, not that strange since it was like that often in this situation. Kagome was finally returning from her time today and they will resume their shard hunt soon.

He hated when she was leaving for her own time and it had been a while since she had been away for so long.

Even if she, sometimes, was driving him totally crazy and mad, at the same time, she had the opposite effect on him as well. She had that strange power upon him, that thanks God she had no idea or she would be unlivable with, beside the damned necklace around his neck, or collar as she like to call it when teasing him.

Her presence at his side and her smell was astonishingly smoothing for his nerves and appeased the continuing battle that was raging inside of him between his 'reasonable' side and his bestial side.

She was the first person, he could really say without flinching or lying, that he trusted with his very life since his birth, beside his own mother.

She was so caring, and she didn't care if he was hanyou or not. She never judged a person because of their species or blood, but by their actions and their heart.

She was the first person in a long time to know about his night of weakness. She was there during his night of weakness, each time appeasing the fear in his heart that was taking over his whole body during those moonless nights. But she was there also when he had transformed in a monster, in his full demon form, killing anything on his passage. She never shunned him whatever form he could be in.

She could have been killed but she hadn't run from him. She never did. That was a trait of her personality, even if he had difficulties to admit, even to himself, in what she was surpassing her predecessor, the priestess Kikyo, the very same Miko that was still haunting his waking moments and nights, down there, in his heart. But the fact that he could admit it to himself didn't mean that it wasn't leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

He shook his head to erase those last thoughts and continued his way towards Edo .

For the first time since ages, InuYasha hadn't come earlier to her time to drag her kicking and screaming, but most of all, sitting him to oblivion to have shortened her stay in her time with her family.

No, this time around, he had respected her wishes and waited for her to return on her own. The fact that he wasn't there anyways to go to get her earlier was lost in the hanyou mind.

After she had left the camp…crying and the good 'slap behind the ears' of his friend , the monk, he had relived, in his mind, the scene and what he had done to her that night.

He couldn't believe what he had done. And it wasn't a dream or a nightmare for that matter. Now that his head was 'cold' and he was calm, he was thinking back at what he told her.

He had been horrible with her now that he thought about it, had said words so hurtful…If it wasn't for her big heart, like anyone else in that situation, she wouldn't forgive him and would never come back.

He really hoped that it would not go there or ever.

Ok, he hadn't liked what she had said but he admitted that it wasn't giving him the right to attack her so viciously and where he knew it would hurt. He shook his head again to be rid of the disturbing thoughts.

Kaede's hut came into view and his heart skit a beat with joy at the idea of seeing again his miko friend. Yes, friend, not just a shard's detector as he had claimed before… but he wasn't willing to say it out loud.

He came to a stop in front of the hut and walked in without waiting. To his surprise, the miko from the future wasn't there, waiting for him…but neither were his other friends. Eyebrows furrowed, he skip out the hut to look for the elder Miko.

He found her in her garden, gathering herbs.

"Oy, Baba, where is everyone?"

At hearing his gruff voice, the old Miko put down her basket and raised slowly, one of her hands reaching for her back for support. Her old bones were really dolorous and more often than not now, staying in one position for long or bend down was becoming more difficult to support.

"Oh, InuYasha, you are finally back. Where were you?" She asked, ignoring his question by asking her own.

Her one good eye detected immediately that he wouldn't answer her question when she saw his posture shift slightly and one of his ears flick.

She may be old but she was still good to analyze and pin point one emotion by his comportment. And the young hanyou didn't prove her wrong again.

"Feh! Not your problem, old hag. Now tell me where they are." He said, crossing his arms on his chest in a show of finality.

"The monk and slayer went to help the neighbor village with a low demon problem. They had waited for you but you weren't coming back so they went by themselves, taking the young Shippo with them. They said that they would come back sometime today, when Kagome will be coming back." She said, eyeing him carefully to detect his reaction.

He cursed under his breath then turned his head towards Kaede.

"And you didn't see the wench?"

Her good eye narrowed at his disrespectful ways to call the young miko. " Kagome," She said, stressing the name in purpose, "hasn't come back yet but let the child alone for now." The words hadn't even finished leaving her lips that, in a flash, the hanyou wasn't in front of her anymore.

She shook her head in disappointment as she saw his retracting form disappear back towards Edo and the forest. He would never learn.

She reached down for her basket and slowly made her way back towards her hut.

Kaede was just about to enter it that she heard her name been called behind her. She turned around to see the rest of the group making their way towards her.

"Good afternoon, Kaede-sama."

After welcoming them back and asking them how was the slaying of the low demon, she immediately invited them inside.

"Everything went well, Kaede-sama, it was rather easy even," said the demon slayer respectively.

"Where is Kagome? She isn't back from her home yet?" asked the slightly distressed young kit when noting the absence of the young woman.

"Not yet, young one. I tried to tell InuYasha to not go the retrieve her now but he was gone before I could stop him." She answered, shaking her head.

"He is always in a hurry when shards are concerned. But if he is the one not here, we would have to wait and not say a word. Hope he receives what he deserves when always bothering Kagome when she is with her family and for his hurtful words from the last time." Sango growled, releasing the cloth strapping her Hiraikotsu on her back and deposing it in a corner.

"Yeah, hopefully she will SIT him." said Shippo.

"Don't be so hard on our friend, Shippo, I think this time he has grasped, at least a little, what he had done. Or I hope so. And for him always disturbing her during her stay with her family or dragging her back here, I think he doesn't understand the gravity of what he is doing yet." concluded Miroku as he placed his staff in the corner too.

"What do you mean houshi?" asked the demon slayer while sitting at Kaede side with Shippo.

Miroku sighed, sitting down against the wall. "Out of all of us, Kagome-sama is the only one who had still part of her family alive. You would think that he would understand how much it's important for Kagome-sama to stay in contact with her family and her own time, him who had lost his own so early…But it isn't the case at all and in his selfish wish to have her always at his side, it is as if he is punishing her to have a family still...or one who accepts her."

"I have never seen it that way but you are right…Is it what Kagome feels too?" Sango asked softly, the 'family issue' always a sore point for her. Shippo was silent too, looking towards the monk from the corner of his eyes, curious and sadden.

Miroku sighed sadly and nodded. "In a way, I think she does. The worst part is that she feels guilty in a way too…"

They looked at each others, sadness heavy in the air…

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……………..

_Back with the demon Lord of the West…_

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Our poor demon Lord was still pinned to the wall, bored to death with nothing to do. He didn't know how much time had passed since the Miko was dragged away but it was already too much for his liking.

There isn't any ugly toad to terrorize or something to kill to pass the time there. He would even be happy…ok 'happy' is maybe too strong a word but still, he would be if his idiot half-brother could pass by so he could hit him until his boredom passed… or until the hanyou passed out.

He was nearly to the point of demanding that his captors give him back the Miko. At least her chatter would be better than the silence. Never would have he thought that he would come, even for a moment, to hate the silence.

To make thing worst, his beast was still 'pouting' and whining for the human's absence. Something wasn't right with him.

He had tried to hear something outside of his cell but it seemed as if there were some seals to cut off or at least reduce the sound from the outside at the entry of this living Hell. It made his beast even more nervous to not know what was happening to the Miko.

Sesshomaru himself was curious but nothing more. He could care less that they kill her, or so he was saying to himself. He still couldn't explain why his beast or even himself could even be interested enough to think and ponder what they were doing to her or could do.

To be honest, there was only one reason Sesshomaru knew about that could explain why his beast would react so strongly to her pain or fear but the DaiYoukai had dismissed it immediately. It was ridiculous…

At that moment, he heard a sound that made his beast 'jump' back on its feet, snarling angrily while pulling back to its chains. Sesshomaru had to admit that even he himself didn't like it one a bit.

It was a sound that he would have enjoyed coming from anyone at any other occasion. Anyone… but this person. He was in debt with her and the thought of what could have happened to make her let out that kind of sound made the blood in the veins of the demon Lord run cold.

This sound was a scream. But not any scream, it was one of pure terror and pain as he had rarely heard before. They were hurting the young Miko…

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End of the chapter 8.


	9. Chapter 9: secrets reveled part1

Hello everyone!

So, I have received some messages about the probability of rape in this story. At first, it was in my intentions to let you all wait and discover later, by yourselves while reading, if there will be or not a raping scene in one of the chapter (noting that I hadn't warned for it in the summary) but my ears are ringing because of people screams about the possibility of rape so I have decided to tell you now:

No, there isn't any rape scene in the story. BUT, you have to know that the mature rating is there for something. Some of the things that will be present in the future, for a little time could be qualified of 'hard'. I don't think that it will be overly graphics, not decided yet, but it will be present. Some others things will be cited in later chapters too…

I have rated the story M or MA because of that. The high rating had a reason.

Like I said to someone, Naraku hadn't captured Kagome just for a tea party! I'm sure that you have understood it.

I don't wish to explain too much or it would spoil the fun of reading it but the hardship that Kagome will have to overcome IS what will make Sesshomaru to remark her and to see her like something else than just a weak human. I don't know how to explain it without saying too much but it is what will lead them to what will happen later, around the end of this story, this first part named "captured and trapped" of a two part story, and an essential passage for the 'plot' of the second part that will arrive after. Saying that, I hope you understand that I'm not making, and will not, character(s) suffer for nothing.

I really hope to have pacified some of you and that you will not abandon this story so rapidly. If you have questions or commentaries to do, you know where to find me.

One more time, I will be thanking 'Frizz' for the beta-job on this chapter. I can't put in words how much I'm grateful.

Like you can see, this chapter is just the first part of 'secrets reveled'. I had a lot of things to explain and I didn't want to make you all wait for too long before the update! Still, the chapter is a little longer than some others so I hope that you will all be satisfied! :D

So now, hop to the story! 

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_**Chapter 9 :**_

_**Secrets reveled, part1**_

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The two ugly yellowish youkais were pulling a kicking and screaming Kagome with them towards the room where she would be staying for who knows how long.

She had tried to call forth her holy powers to her aid anew but she obtained the same disturbing results as before: nothing. Well, not entirely nothing. The collar around her neck seemed to burn when her powers were rushing out and getting cold again when she stopped. It was like the piece of metal was reacting to her powers… She deduced that it must be the same kind of thing as the one Sesshoumaru had on him, only this one was to contain purity. It seemed that they knew she would try to fry them to Hell and back at the first possible chance. So they had put a damn collar on her to contain her powers. _I'm not the dog here!!_ She fumed mentally.

But aside from her anger to have been collared like a dog, Kagome was beyond livid. She felt as if she was naked and defenseless without her powers flowing freely, caressing her skin with her every emotions. She still had a lot of difficulties to control her powers even now, a few years after her arriving in the Feudal Era, but their presence was like a comfortable blanket. And now the comfort was gone.

She was doing much better with her powers than when she first stepped in this dangerous Era. Well, she couldn't do worse than when she wasn't aware of their existence, could she? But by now, she was use to feeling them at all the times just under her skin, reacting with her emotions. But now, even if she still could feel them inside her, that they hadn't disappeared, that was all and not at all reassuring for the young miko.

For some time already, regularly, when he wasn't out cold until the morning after his 'friendly' meeting with Hiraikotsu for trying to peep during their bath or grope one of the girls, Miroku was teaching her how to have better control on her own powers.

Of course, they were doing it behind the back of a certain hanyou. They had to, knowing their hanyou friend. At one time though, he had interrupted one of their sessions to ask what the Hell they were doing. They had been obliged, knowing that InuYasha wouldn't drop the subject until he had his response, to answer him. But when they explained that Kagome was learning to have better control over her powers, the insensible jerk had proclaimed that she was weak anyways and if this training couldn't help her to find more shards it was useless. His harsh words had once more cut deep in the already in poorly shape self-confidence of Kagome. Obviously that night, InuYasha had kissed the earth goodnight … repetitively.

After that he hadn't interfered again.

This training was important for Kagome, who hated to feel useless as she was often unable to really help her friends during battles. It was a feeling which had became more than she could stand with time. The other reason was to be able to calm the dolor in her soul.

Kagome had been fairly astonished when, as her friend was testing how much powers she had at her disposition, he had been shocked himself and had said that he had never felt so much power in one holy being in all his wandering years or even heard of such a tremendous amount of potential. Miroku could feel that she had still some hidden powers unused in her and could, after extensive training, be the most powerful Miko that had ever walked the Earth.

Imagine her surprise when he'd even confirmed that she had more powers running through her veins than the priestess Kikyo must have ever had, even when she was still part of the living. He had deduced that it could explain why she had never felt her powers before being in mortal danger and the jewel was bit off of her side at her fifteenth birthday. She must have in her at least the same among of powers without any training, if not more, than what was contained in the Jewel. Her powers were containing the Jewel powers in her body, for protection, so no one could feel it around her. Then, when she had been more mature and her powers reacting more violently with her emotions, the seal created around the jewel by her own powers must have start to flutter. It had been only when she had been frightened when stepping in the well house that her powers, distracted and reacting with her emotions, had let the centipede youkai be able to feel the jewel's power.

He explained that while Kikyo was able to keep the Jewel pure, Kagome was keeping it concealed and pure, so needed more powers. The only difference today between the two reincarnations was that the undead miko had total control upon her available powers, while Kagome could easily summon only a fraction of her own.

Miroku was sure that she could become even more powerful than Midoriko herself after some years, with a proper training. Miroku had a theory: the explanation to why she had so much power and why she could live 'normally' with only part of her soul. It was surely due to the fact that she was born with the jewel hidden deep in her body. That could explain too, why her soul was so immense and that Kanna's mirror couldn't absorb it, even when not whole. The fact that her soul was old wasn't enough to explain everything: the jewel must have a part in it.

Another proof came from that Kikyo, while able to feel a jewel shards power a little more accurately than anyone with holy powers or youki, only Kagome could feel them from far away and could see them precisely even in the body of someone. It proved that the jewel was really a part of her. He even went to say that the link between the young miko and the jewel could be a link between souls. Maybe part of Midoriko's soul succeeded to escape the jewel and merge with Kikyo's soul after her death to create, 500 years later, Kagome with the jewel hidden inside of her. It wasn't a fact but a probability that couldn't be refuted.

That day had marked the very first time where a real fight had happened between the monk and InuYasha.

InuYasha, who had surprisingly been at the camp that day, had listen the 'lecturing' of Miroku, curious about what the monk and miko were doing during their 'training', and you could easily guess, hadn't been happy at all about the conclusions of the monk. Worst, the hanyou had been seriously furious at Miroku for filling up the young miko with absurdities and for spouting what he had deemed were blatant lies. For him, it was evident that Kagome was weak and couldn't compare in anything, even in dreams, with the 'perfection' of Kikyo, so even less to Midoriko and the powers of the Jewel.

But the Monk hadn't back down.

Miroku then had pointed out that the only reason Kagome was able to pull off the arrow that was keeping him between life and death all those years ago, wasn't only because Kagome and Kikyo were sharing the same soul, but because, even then, Kagome was able to call upon her at least the same level, if not more, of powers that Kikyo had used to condemn InuYasha to stay pinned to the tree, between death and live, with the help of the sacred tree. Anyone with holy powers, like Kaede or even himself, was able to touch the arrow but only one with more powers than the sealer could romp the seal and free InuYasha.

That's when InuYasha had finally totally lost his cool and had attacked Miroku with murderous intentions.

God, or Buddha in his case, had blessed the Monk with lots of quick reflexes. If it wasn't for his quick reaction with his staff, Miroku could have been seriously hurt that night. After many SIT and a sutra to immobilize the hanyou for the night, everyone went to their respective sleeping places.

Kagome had been uneasy and doubtful with the declarations of Miroku and had said so to him after a moment. It was a wonderful warm feeling to hear the faith he had in her capabilities but it was maybe a little too much. However, he had interrupted her immediately and clearly made her understand that he hadn't lied one bit and had said the truth purely and simply of what his meticulous reflections had come up with and not a way to make her feel better.

It was because of the constant support of Miroku that Kagome had been able to regain part of her lost confidence. But only a little part had been restored, the damage inflicted by the temperamental and narrowed minded hanyou being too important.

After that night and the incident, nothing had been said on the subject anymore. However, the cohesion between the group and the hanyou had never been the same.

The monk had still continued, for more than a year now, to help Kagome to gain more control over her powers and helped her with meditation sessions, when the pain of her broken soul was too painful to bare for the poor young woman. He had became her closest confident and she his, and if it wasn't for his generous help, she wouldn't have been able to be of any assistance for Sesshoumaru the day before, with his poisoned injuries.

However, a few minutes here or a couple of hours there isn't enough to have permit to Kagome to have total control of her powers. But it wasn't useless either: she was now able to shoot more powerful arrows, sense Shikon shards from farther away and apparently now heal even if it's exhausting.

At one time, during her training with Miroku, and with the help of Kaede, she succeeded to send a blast of pure energy reducing a poor innocent tree in nothing but little parts flying in the wind. But it had been just a fluke and she hadn't succeeded in doing it again later. But that didn't stop Kaede from being impressed with her.

For once not knowing, Miroku had been curious as to why her powers hadn't formed an orb, like he had known was what really powerful Miko throw. The old Miko had explain that she had to have lots of potential to be able to send blast and touch an opponent without an arrow like most mikos. She said that she would need a lot of work, most surely years before being able to form perfect orbs, like any master mikos. This art went with control and Kagome still didn't have it. Kaede even pondered if she would ever have total control, her amount of powers being so immense.

Though, when she had seen the horrified face of the young woman, she had rapidly added that it wasn't abnormal and could be of better use for her. She said that while Kagome couldn't control the amount of powers she use with each attack, the blast was more powerful most of the time than an orb could. The old Miko continued by saying that contrary to most Mikos to whom it was just a little, Kagome's powers were reacting with her every emotions strongly, explaining too the quantity she had at her disposition, why it was so difficult to control them for their young pupil and that had nothing to do with her possible mental or physical disabilities like someone had tried to convince her, her supposed hanyou friend. That night, since he had implied that Kagome was in some way too weak in mind and body to be a plausible Miko, Kaede 'invited' him to sleep outside on the cold.

That's when, after remembering her training sessions and the powers at her disposition, it had clicked in the young Miko's head that something was missing: she couldn't feel the familiar pulse of the jewel fragments anywhere nearby, or when she had faced the devious hanyou earlier. The only plausible explanation was that it was just a puppet. _Figures. No surprise there_.

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They were now leading her away from her cellar and Sesshoumaru. When she had understood that she hadn't any chance to escape the painful hold of the 'ugly things', as she liked to call them in her head, she took the opportunity to observe all she could of what was outside the cell she and Sesshoumaru were sharing. That's how she saw the seal coursing around the cell's door. However, she was unable to read it, cursing herself to not understanding magic languages.

What she could see though was that the words seemed to light up. Kagome deduced that they must have to say a spell or something to activate the collars of Sesshoumaru and the wall behind him. But what was more important was that the spell was working only inside the cell and not everywhere in the cave. It was a big plus! That meant that if they could get out of the cell then their captors wouldn't have any more control on Sesshoumaru and he would be able to kick their asses. The prospect of seen those ugly and smelly youkai with their so-called 'Lord' been beaten to a bloody mess by the DaiYoukai surprisingly sent a spark in the Miko's eyes. She wasn't a lover of violence but they would merit their sorts. To have kidnapped them but worst beaten to the pulp the proud but rendered defenseless Lord of the Western Lands and taking evident pleasure in it, she wouldn't cry for them when Sesshoumaru will be free. And there is the fact of why she was there...still a mystery.

When looking around, Kagome saw that there were others cells than theirs too, but she couldn't feel the aura of anyone in them, or at least no youkai's presence. So she concluded that they were the only prisoners down there at the moment, wherever 'here' was. The galleries seemed old though; pointing out that it wasn't of Naraku's making. He must have 'borrowed' the cave from someone else or it was abandoned and he found them.

The two ugly were leading Kagome, or rather pulling her, in one of the cells, at the opposite side of the cave apparently. At first, she thought that they finally decided to use their little pee-size brain and install her in another cellar, separate from the demon Lord. Granted he hadn't killed her...yet, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't. Better not tempting the devil, right?

So even if she was sad at the idea to be left alone, she was ok with it...until she saw what was inside of that one. A cold shiver run her spine and she immediately wished that she could wake up right now at Sesshoumaru's side in their suddenly very attractive co-cell.

She struggled anew with renew vigor, terrified of what they could have in mind for her. And from what she could see in the room, she won't like it.  
However, they seemed to find her struggling and terror really humorous and couldn't stop the chuckles from coming out at seeing her so fearful...and they knew that she had every reason in the world to be afraid. Their Lord had a lot of 'fun' planned for her... Thinking at that, they were now laughing without restraint at her expense.

In the center of the cell was sitting proudly a table inclined where they carried the young Miko and attached her to it by her wrists and ankles. She couldn't stop them even when kicking and screaming. They paid it no mind. She couldn't prevent anything.

Kagome had never been so scared in her life. She was trashing around, but the straps were so tight. They had tightened them as much as they could without cutting off her blood circulation. Terror gripped the young Miko's heart when they just laughed at her futile intent and left her there, keeping the door opened on their way out, leaving her alone.

"Get your ugly fat asses here! Let me go!!" She was screaming frantically, struggling still, but the straps wouldn't let go.  
_Oh my God, what will they do to me!!_ She thought, her eyes starting to tear up. _They attached me like in some kind of horror movie! What are they planning to do to me?!_ She then breathed deeply. _Calm down, Kagome, panicking will not help you! Damn InuYasha, whenever you are ready to come crashing in their little fiesta, you are, by all mean welcome to. And the sooner the better! InuYasha please, get me out of here..._She mentally whimpered.

She then heard the noise of someone clearing their throat. Kagome's head snapped towards the door, only to find Naraku there, a smug smile on his face. Each time she see him, she couldn't stop the anger and disgust from rising inside her, even when petrified by her fear.

"Naraku." She said venomously.

His smile only grew on his lips at her hostility. _The bastard._

_  
_"Still so much hate coming out of your sweet mouth, little Miko, and you don't even know what I want from you yet. It's a shame. Kukuku." He said, silkily.

"Stop the chitchat, Naraku. I don't care what your new devious plan consists of, but I won't play in it. Release me now!" She tried again to call to her help her powers but the collar around her neck just started to burn and nothing happened again making her even more frustrated.

"Tsk tsk tsk. So feisty. You can't use your powers with this collar binding them I'm afraid, so you can as well stop it before you hurt yourself, little Miko. You should use your energy on something else than anger." He told her, velvety.

Kagome couldn't prevent a shiver to run down her spine. It was so wrong. And the way he had looked at her earlier and now again... She didn't know what he wanted exactly but she was almost sure that she didn't wish to find out. Still hoping that InuYasha would come to her rescue, she tried to gain some time and maybe information for later use.

"You already have taken the Jewel shards from me, so what is your purpose to keep me here and why Sesshoumaru is here too?"

"So much questions..." Then he said in her ear. "Do you really wish to know, little Miko?"

Kagome blinked. _He is fast!_ One moment he was standing in front of her and the next he was behind her, whispering sickeningly sweetly at her ear. He was way too close for her liking.

"Get the Hell away from me!" She screamed in outrage.

Astonishingly, he complied with her wish and went to stand in front of her anew.

"You have been around the foul-mouthed beast for too long, it seemed. You are cursing way too much." A frown crossed on his face before clearing back to his devious smile. "Anyways, I'm feeling generous today." He said smirking. "So I will answer your questions, my Lady, at the best of my abilities." He added, with a mock bow. At his display, she just snarled, surprising herself with the only inhuman sound coming out of her own mouth.

"Kukuku. For the presence of the demon Lord here, there isn't much more reason but to hurt his pride and keep him away to prevent his usual interference. He can be quite bothersome and I didn't wish to let him play and interfere with my plan this time. With him out of my way, nothing can stop me from realizing it at the perfection. Plus, how much more insulting for a human-hater than to imprison him with one? Worst, one that he couldn't kill easily? It was too good to let pass, don't you think? "

"W-what do you mean 'one he couldn't kill easily'?" She said, trying to stop her voice from quavering. If he noticed, for once he didn't say anything to mock her, and continued as if nothing was amiss.

"Ah, that is something I will let Sesshoumaru have the pleasure of explaining himself. But I knew that, when in his right mind, he wouldn't kill you. I wouldn't have risked letting you in his 'warm' presence otherwise. Tell me, Miko, can you remember one time where our demon friend had went out of his way to kill you? No, he hadn't, right? You can't remember one time. And if you recalled well your encounter with the Band of Seven, he even saved your life. At least that's one I know of."

"B-but, that was an accident! He said so himself. He killed Mukotsu only because he was in his way, nothing more!" Kagome shot at him, frowning, not knowing why he was trying to make her believe that. What would he gain for her to believe that Sesshoumaru had really wanted to save her. It's ridiculous!

Naraku just smiled. "Did he really say that to you or was he trying to explain himself? To convince himself?"

"You are dreaming Naraku! I'm just another human for Sesshoumaru. Stop being delusional! When he will be out, there will be Hell for you to pay and I will be the one laughing! And what do you mean he is the only one able to interfere with your plan? Lots of people are after you, and even if Sesshoumaru isn't out there for the moment, someone else will stop you!" She said, trying to sound confident while she was feeling less and less as such.

"You have so much faith in the demon Lord. It's puzzling how you are supposed to hate him because of your choice for companions. But let me tell you something about your comfy prison. You see, my sweet little Miko, those cellars had been dug directly in a cave that no one but maybe a powerful youkai like our 'little friend' down there, back in your 'sleeping quarter', could have a chance to sniff out because of the natural barrier around it."

After a moment, when Naraku saw Kagome's eyes open wide while finally grasping the implications of his declaration, he couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping his lips.

"Exactly, my little Miko, InuYasha won't be able to join us anytime soon, I'm afraid. I sincerly hope you aren't too disappointed."

His maniac laugh bouncing on the walls froze the blood in her veins. _He's wrong, right? InuYasha had to find me, to find us! He has to!_ She thought, even more panicked than before. When she looked in Naraku's direction, she could see his triumphant smile. He knew that he succeeded to plant some doubts in her mind, and from the look of it, he wasn't finished yet. She could see it in his glinting red eyes. He didn't attach her in there just to tell her that. He must have something else in mind.

"You want to know a little secret, my little Miko?"

"I'm not yours!" She screamed on top of his lungs. But her outburst was absolutely ignored as Naraku just smiled at her, his crimson eyes lighting up.

"It was rather easy to manipulate your friends in leaving the village while you weren't around. The slayer and the monk went to help a neighboring village about their 'sudden' curious youkai problem.

"But do you want to know something funnier?" He then walked closer to her trapped form to whisper conspiringly. "It was even easier to distract InuYasha."

Her breathe hitched in her throat, immediately afraid for the hanyou's security. She forgot where she was and in what position she was in and yelled. "What did you do to him?!"

He smirked evilly, making her heart skip a beat or two in uneasiness. "But I, myself, hadn't done a thing to the simple-minded hanyou, MY little Miko. I didn't have to. Someone else did it for me. And I must say that InuYasha was more than willing to be distracted."

Kagome felt a pinch at her heart but ignore it. She shook her head in denial. "I don't believe you."

The dark hanyou chuckled. "Oh but I can assure you that I'm telling the truth. He just had to sniff her scent in the air and you were all but forgotten. It's a pity, really, how much you really count in his life in comparison to her."

The air in Kagome's lungs froze. She knew of only one person who could have that kind of reaction on the hanyou. It felt like someone had plunged a knife deeply in her heart. She may know her place in his heart but that didn't mean that it isn't dolorous to hear it yet again and worse, from their enemy. But something else was bothering her.

It was really a little too much of a coincidence that she had come to see him precisely around the moment Kagome was coming back to the Feudal Era... But that would mean that she was working with Naraku... yet again. She knew that the hate her previous incarnation was carrying in her frozen heart for her and she couldn't say that they were in peaceful terms. I meant, the older Miko had tried to kill her more than once, push her down the well and then, for the last year, was doing anything in her power to make her life miserable and hurt her soul. No, she knew that Kikyo would do anything that she could to hurt her. Yet...working for the dark hanyou...She wouldn't do that now, right? She wouldn't bend so low just to hurt her, right? She knew now that Naraku was responsible for her death, so why would she work with him again? _She really wouldn't, right?_

Naraku could clearly see the doubt rising in her. Beside her disgustingly sweet heart, she wasn't blind in front of the pure hatred her old incarnation was harboring for her. He then smiled deviously when he heard her whispering, trying to reassure herself.

"She wouldn't..." she said quietly and unsurely.

"Oh but she would and she did." He answered her private question as if she was asking him, chuckling. "She isn't anything like the woman she was in the past. She only knows anger and hate and it can be seen in everything she does. She isn't alive anymore and her priorities have change. But do you want to know something, my sweet little Miko? Her body only resembles a real body, only in appearance. It's nothing like doing it with a living being, not really as much agreeable to say the least."

The silence then fell between them. A deafening silence as Naraku was patiently waiting to see her reaction to his words after releasing the first bomb, and after a moment, he wasn't disappointed.

Kagome gather her courage to look up at him. She had to see his eyes to see the truth, to know why he wasn't continuing his speech and if what he was talking about was anything close to what her mind was supplying. When she saw how deviously he was smiling at her direction, his eyes twinkling, she had her response.

_Her body only looks like the one of a living human? Doing 'it'? Oh please Kami, tell me he isn't speaking of what I am thinking?! She would never... right? Not with him... She is a priestess and she already couldn't accept InuYasha totally because of his youkai heritage so she couldn't have done that with that 'thing'! But then, he said that her priorities had really changed after her death..._

A wave of nausea crashed on Kagome when realization hit her. It was overwhelming. She didn't know what was the most disgusting: her previous incarnation taking pleasure with her own murderer, fifty years or so after said murder, or him rutting with a body made of clay and grave soil! Ok, some people in her era are doing in with plastic puppet but it's not really the same!!

People in this era take her for an innocent, not understanding what she had still to taste in life but they are presuming too much. She was a girl from the 21st century! She may blush or be embarrassed in some situations but the fact that she was innocent from the touch of a man didn't mean that she couldn't recognize a sexual allusion when she heard one! She even had shocked Miroku more than once.

Naraku continued his little speech now he was sure that he had all her attentions turned towards him.  
"She was by the well because I asked her to. She was to occupy InuYasha long enough for my men to retrieve you as soon as you were back around InuYasha's forest, from wherever you were. And she was more than ready to do it.

In a way, you could say that we made a deal. I would give her what she longed for when the time is right, and, in exchange, she would do some things for me when her interference could be helpful for my purposes. She was more than willing to accept the deal and we sealed the pact. In fact, to be totally honest, we sealed the deal more than once and in more than one occasion. Oh yes, we did seal it, repetitively, again and again until exhaustion..." He let trail off, a smug smile on his lips.

Kagome couldn't take more of it. "That's enough..." She whispered, trying with all her might to block out his sulfurous voice, her eyes closed tightly. But he would have nothing of that.

"However, the feel of clay isn't as agreeable as warm flesh, right, my little Miko? Then, it's impossible for her to be really wet..."

"That's enough!!!" She yelled, clenching her hands. She had to stop him or she should throw up. Just the idea of him and her together...Intimately together... She had to stop herself from gagging. She couldn't look at him now. Before it was in anger but now it's in disgust. She couldn't look up at him without seeing the images in her mind. _Kami, it is beyond disgusting!_

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you." He said, unapologetically. "If it makes you feel better, we could set that aside and go directly to the reason of your presence here."

.

.

End of the part one.


	10. Chapter 10:secrets reveled part2

Hello dear readers! :)

First thing first, I wanted to thank every ones of you guys whom had taken the time a leave a message after the release of the last chapter. So thank you!

The author answer the questions of the readers, in another word, yours! :) 

**22kisa22 : **I'm so glad that you like it ! And I hope that you will like this new chapter too! Thank you!

**my name is paper YAH : **well yeah, there will be some tort. but I don't think I will make it too much graphic either. Keep in mind that what will happen will be the factor to make it possible for Sesshomaru to be more accessible for Kagome as the demon Lord will have respect for her courage against the evil hanyou Naraku. And don't forget that the spider hanyou is known to be a master of manipulation…

**ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS : **lol, hope you haven't kill yourself in your anticipation for the new update! *grin* I hope you will like this chapter, too. Thank you!

**1kenshinlover: ** Yeah, exactly what I had in mind! Eww. It had traumatized me to even have the idea of it! Naraku and Kikyo… it's enough to traumatize anyone! I had to watch some Disney movies for kids to purify the horrible images! My poor brain! Lol

**Jeweled Fairy : **special mention for you ! I give you an imaginary cookie! /D More seriously, thank you to always be supportive for all my works. You always say what you have in mind, but never are aggressive to anyone. You have no ideas how much I'm happy each time I read one of your review! Thank you, thank you!! *bow*

**pandora-of-the-south: **you too have been of great support from the beginning, so thank you and an imaginary cookie for you too! :) In fact, I think you are one of the first who have ever reviewed one of my works since I have started to post them. So, thank you so much for your support and faithfulness!

**your papperdoll : ** Yeah, me too, I can't wait the moment Naraku will have what he deserves, but alas, it won't be just yet. *pout*

**P****urropolisprincess : **glad that you like it and find it interesting ! hope you will like this new chapter too! :)

**Edorani : **I'm glad that you find my story intriguing enough to resist and wait for the next update ! lol Sorry to test your short live patience so much and hope that you will find this new chapter to your taste! Thank you for your review! :D

**Sesshomaru is Fluffy Evil: **Yeah, I find it disgusting too ! in fact, anyone with Kikyo is too gross for my taste! Hell, she is dead everyone! But it was necessary for the plot…thank you for your message! :)

**Kanae14 : **hope that the fact that you find Nar/kik disgusting will not prevent you from reading this story ! Promise, aside from a mention here and there when necessary, I won't speak more about it! It's too gross and I'm afraid to give you all nightmare! Lol

**Loonaboo : **Hope you didn't really die when you had read 'end of the part 1' and will be there for the part 2 ! *grin*

**K.S.T.M : **I hope that I haven't disturbed you too much with Naraku and Kinky-ho, as you said, and will read more about your opinions soon! :)

**merlyn1382 : **If Kagome has so much powers, why is she not breaking the collars and release Sesshomaru? Well, that's a great question and the answer of your question is in this chapter ! :) Hope to have satisfied you. Thanks for your review.

Thanks too to **Glykera, Fk306 animelover, sesshyslilkaggy, AnimeAngel41, GeorgieGirl999**, for their review. I hope to have mentioned everyone and if not, let me know!

Well now that is done, it is time for the story!

Thank you again to 'FRIZZ' for the beta-work on this new chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha…

*frown* Funny, I think I have heard that somewhere else before…

Well, ENJOY! :D

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_Previously, in the chapter 9:_

_"However, the feel of clay isn't as agreeable as warm flesh, right, my little Miko? Then, it's impossible for her to be really wet..."_

_"That's enough!!!" She yelled, clenching her hands. She had to stop him or she should throw up. Just the idea of him and her together...Intimately together... She had to stop herself from gagging. She couldn't look at him now. Before it was in anger but now it's in disgust. She couldn't look up at him without seeing the images in her mind. Kami, it is beyond disgusting!_

_"I'm sorry to have disturbed you." He said, unapologetically. "If it makes you feel better, we could set that aside and go directly to the reason of your presence here."_

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_……………………._

_Chapter 10:_

_Secrets reveled, part 2_

_……………………._

Naraku smiled evilly at her, the disgusted face she was making seeming really entertaining for his twisted mind, as if he knew what she was thinking.

Kagome was trying to block out the images that were trying to crawl in her mind. Just the thought of Naraku and Kikyo together was enough to make her stomach jump. She was scarred for life for sure!

Then, even worse, her treacherous mind supplied her with ideas and pictures even more disgusting, making her almost dizzy. If the undead miko, _if you still could call her a miko after what I just learned about her,_ she thought shivering, could spread her legs so easily to Naraku, someone she hated and was the origin of her death fifty or so years ago, did that mean..? That maybe with InuYasha...?

She felt the bile rise in her throat, threatening to overcome her at the very idea of her hanyou crush with her previous incarnation in any more intimate situations than what she had already witnessed. _He wouldn't...would he? I mean, I know that he still has feelings for Kikyo even if she is long dead but, doing that... _

She had difficulties to stop her gag reflex. She was trying to reassure herself that it wasn't possible but the doubt had germinated and wouldn't die out and leave her in peace.

Naraku seemed to have seen through her easily, his smile growing on his lips.

"However," he said, gaining her attention anew, "I must confess that I can't really tell you what Kikyo had done to keep the hanyou occupied for that much of time. All the instructions she was given was that she had to keep him busy for a few days. It has been a couple of days and she knew it could continue for a few more days."

When Naraku saw her disgusted and hurt face at the very idea of her hanyou crush with her dead predecessor and rival for the affections of said hanyou, he couldn't stop the sadistic jubilation rising in him.

"No one really knew when you would be back, my sweet little Miko, so we had to be prepared. But I'm thinking, really, what could two lovers do when alone in some woods for two almost three days, ne? Do you have anything that comes to mind?" He asked looking innocently, or how much the devil himself could look innocent. The dark hanyou had difficulties to stay calm and not laugh out loud at her face.

Kagome closed her eyes, blocking out the devious twinkle in the red eyes of Naraku. A tear ran down her cheek. Oh, she had an idea at what they could have done alone in the woods, alright. But it was nothing she wanted to think about.

Again she asked herself why her previous incarnation would work with the evil hanyou so readily and what she will gain from Naraku when he has what he wanted...

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_………………._

_With InuYasha…_

_………………._

InuYasha had just left Kaede and was running at full speed towards the well.

On his way, villagers working in the fields in these early hours of the morning, looked up, curious at what could be happening, only to see a blur of red and silver pass them. Not at all unfazed anymore with his comportment, the workers just looked at each others, shaking their heads after the hanyou, and went back to their hard work.

InuYasha was pissed, you could say. He hadn't been back for less than half an hour and the miko from the future had already ruined his good mood. Cursing about the woman-shard detector being a pain in the ass, he ran even quicker.

What was so good about the future anyways that she wants to be there all the time? There was too many people everywhere, far too close to one another, metallic 'things' that tried to kill you each time you put one foot outside your home but that you aren't allowed to destroy and even worse, it stank everywhere. There were so many pestilential odors in the air that each time he passed the well, he felt dizzy. Even with the wards around the shrine, it was still difficult to support.

And that infuriating woman and her 'tests'! What good is her school going to be in facing the dangers of the world? Absolutely none! It didn't help her to be able to get more shards, didn't help to make her stronger to fight, in fact, in InuYasha's opinion, it was useless. A simple waste of time. That she was able to read and write and everything she is learning in this 'school' isn't really worth the time when they could be hunting the shards down.

Oh, he knows that her time is different than his and that what you learnt in school is important to live successfully in that crazy time. He wasn't stupid like people thought him to be. He knew that it was of some kind of importance and not a simple caprice of hers, but that didn't mean he had to accept it. She could well study all she wanted AFTER she found all the jewel shards that SHE had broken and he had destroyed that filthy Naraku.

InuYasha cursed again. The one time he had let her go alone to come back to the Feudal Era by herself, she had the stupidity to abuse his 'generosity' and be late! Obliging him to make him drag her back, like always. She was really a pain. If she wasn't so necessary for the shards hunt, he didn't think that he still would be putting up with her.

The bone-eater's well was finally just in sight. Not even pausing a second, as soon as he arrived at the well, he jumped in.

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…………………_.._

_Back to Naraku and Kagome…_

…………………_.._

Finally deciding that he had played with her enough, Naraku turned towards the door and let one of the ugly 'things' in. Kagome saw that he was carrying something when he walked in but she couldn't see what it was because the dark hanyou was standing just in front of her, blocking her curious eyes.

"So back to the reason of your presence in my humble prison, ok?" Naraku said conversationally as he was waving off the ugly demon, whom just bowed at him and left without a sound.

"Very efficient those demons, ne? But that's not what you wish to know. You are here, my dear little miko, because you possess something I need." The dark hanyou said calmly.

He then walked behind her. She could hear him touching something there but try all she wanted, she couldn't see what he was doing.

"I must admit that you are the first person to have succeeded in really damaging my body in the past."

"Oh I'm so terribly sorry," She said sarcastically, finally coming back from her disturbing thoughts.

He just chuckled. "I'm sure you are. But for me to come so close from death is unacceptable. I have been thinking for some time already on how to find a way for me to become stronger rapidly, in a way the Shikon Jewel shards are unable to help me with."

Kagome was growing increasingly nervous the longer Naraku was standing behind her doing who knows what.

The room was rather dimly lit, like all the parts of the cave apparently. It wasn't really adapted for humans, when youkai must be able to see as good as if they were outside, under the sun. Because of the lack of necessary light when she had walked in, or rather, she had been pushed in, she hadn't been able to see what could be beyond the table that she was now attached to.

To be honest, she didn't even try. She was so panicked of the possibilities of what could be done to her down here that she hadn't really tried to look around. Big mistake apparently.

However, she was rather dumb-found and shocked when she saw with what Naraku was coming back with. It was just so ridiculous she was having a hard time not laughing. Really. She was half-tempted to look around to try to see cameras of some TV-show in the corner. It was surreal.

She had been ready to see him with a knife, threatening her life if she wasn't giving him what she was supposed to possess that could make him even more powerful than what the Jewel could do, but never, in any occasion, she would have thought of that!

Hell, if she was in a manga or something, she would have a giant sweat drop on her head for sure. If she could, she would have pinched herself to be sure. After being attached to a table of torture and having learnt some really disturbing things like the possibility of her crush of three years having sexual intercourses with the walking-talking corpse of his ex, with whom she was sharing a soul with, the master of manipulation that had ruined more life than she cared to know, was standing now, in front of her, seemingly tranquilly talking to her, a cup of tea in hand! That was way too bizarre to be real. She really must be dreaming. Not that the dark hanyou drinking tea was really so much of a shocking news but why now?!

Naraku had observed the woman, smirking at her when he saw her incredulous face's expression.

"Why the shocked face, little Miko? Do I not seem like the tea drinker's type? Kukuku.

I would have, of course, offered you some, but your hands seem to be indisposed at the moment."

Kagome just looked at him as if a second head had just popped out, out of nowhere, not that it wasn't impossible with that hanyou.

"Anyways, like I was saying, I tried to find a way to be stronger so that even you, my little Miko, wouldn't be able to hurt me anymore. And finally, I found something. And here is, little miko, where you come in. What I need is to have access to holy powers."

The young Miko gazed at the hanyou like if Naraku had finally lost it. From what planet was he coming from where demons could have holy powers? He was even crazier then she had first thought. She didn't hesitate to voice her opinion, "You are crazy Naraku, purity and youki can't survive in one body without tearing it apart! The two forces can't live together!"

He smirked, "Don't be so certain of yourself, my little Miko. My researches had proven that it is quite possible. It isn't more different than the battle raging inside any hanyou between his conscience, the human side and the more primal part of the being. From what I have gathered, it isn't impossible at all. The only problem lies in how to introduce holy powers in a youkai body without destroying it. That had been the more difficult part to which find a solution."

Kagome couldn't believe her ears. Naraku was speaking as if he had found a way to make his crazy dream reality! But how? If he is waiting for her to give him her powers, he can continue to dream all he wants because she won't do it today, or ever for that matter. But just the thought of Naraku immunized against purifying powers made cold shivers run down her spine. If he was to succeed he would become unstoppable.

Glad to have her whole attention on his person, Naraku continued.

"I must admit, it has been quite troublesome to find the way to gain these powers. The easier would have to be able to just absorb in my body a miko to gain her powers, like I can do with youkai without trouble, but it has been proven futile. I'm unable to gain powers from a human in that kind of process. I even tried to absorb a miko while she was using her powers to know if it could work that way, but besides being painful, it was useless. I have to find another way to achieve my goal.

I had been troubled for a long time until I finally had the solution. It's irking that I haven't thought about it sooner. The reason that it was impossible to do it was simply because I'm not human. And the reason I'm able to absorb others youkai and gaining more powers in the process is also because I'm not human. It was so evident."

Kagome was looking at him. _Yeah, right, it's sooo evident that I have no idea of what you are talking about, psycho!_ She thought. _I don't know what his 'miraculous' solution is, but I don't wish to find out. I have this sick feeling that I will not like it at all. I have to get the Hell out of here!! And right now!!!_

So she tried to call forth her powers again with all her might, praying that it would work this time around. If she could call upon even a fraction of her powers, maybe she could break this collar. Hope creeping back in her that it could work, she tried. But it had the same result: nothing. She had called upon the maximum of powers that she had ever succeeded to control but nothing was working. The collar just burnt furiously against the sensible skin of her neck and then nothing, leaving her breathless. As soon as her powers calmed down back 'inside of her', the collar went cold again.

The dark hanyou laughed at her futile attempt. "I told you that it was useless. You are really stubborn, little Miko. You can put as much power as you want, but you won't be able to break it. It's a special metal with a powerful enchanted spell on it. With the opposite spell, one of these collars is able to contain the powers of our little friend in your sleeping quarters, so don't you think it is able to control yours? Kukuku. The collar you are carrying is able to block out the powers of many Mikos, so you won't be able to overpower it anytime soon. It's surprising what one can find in old scrolls. With a little imagination and lots of powers, it's really remarkable what someone like me can realize, don't you think?" He said, smiling evilly down at her, finding amusement as her face was losing all the color.

"So, where were we? Ah, yes, so I finally found why it couldn't work. Miko just don't have youkai blood so I can't absorb their powers. I even tried with a dark miko, without success. The solution was just there: I need a being already combining miko and youki in his or her body. Quite simple, see? But not that easy to find. In fact, I didn't find any that is living now or that could have ever existed. So the only solution was for me to create one."

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat. He seemed to have done so many experiments to arrive to this point so many mikos must have died for his twisted megalomania. But one thought made her really tremble under his piercing red eyes: he can have all the power he wants, he isn't able to create this being by himself or he would already have done it. Fear gripped at her heart like never before in her life. She had now a rather good idea as to why she was there.

"However," He continued, "I have learnt immediately that it wasn't as simple. Don't you think it is surprising that no child issued from both youkai and holy had ever seen the light of the day in all the history? Even with the hate between the two communities, it was unthinkable that not once in all the centuries of co-habitation, any relation had ever existed. That's then I had came to be aware of the troublesome rule, a rule that had made me rather… angry.

It's what people had called in the past "the ultimate Kami protection of the holy being", or something like that, the translation is difficult to do precisely. In other words, no one who had even a drop of youki in their blood can rape a miko so even less have a chance to create an offspring from this union. You could say that I wasn't enchanted with this new knowledge. I have sought confirmation upon our common other miko aquitance, and she had confirmed that it was one of the first things you learn in miko training and one of the most sacred secrets of the mikos.

The fact that the Miko had some training or not isn't important here, nor the quantity of powers available, the result is the same: the death of the offender by purification. The rule entailed some stupid law saying that the body of a priestess is like a sacred temple: it could be destroyed but never violated. "

Kagome released the breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. If she wasn't attached to the table, she would have jumped in joy. But something was ticking her: if it wasn't possible to force yourself upon a miko, why was she there? That wasn't making any sense. Suddenly a wave of nausea washed over her and she had to bite down a sob. She was sure that Naraku hadn't just taken Kikyo's words for granted, so that meant that he must have tried to…

The next sentence of the dark hanyou standing calmly in front of her as if conversing about the weather proved her right.

"Of course I have to test this rule and have sent some servants of mine in villages to test the capability of this protection."

A tear rolled down the young miko cheek at the horror those unknown mikos must have suffered. A rage then had started to boil inside of her. Naraku will pay. She didn't know how or when, but she will make him pay dearly for what he had done to all those women, even if it was the last thing she was doing to do, she vowed to herself.

Naraku continued. "I had the unpleasant pleasure, you could say, of learning that the rule is a reality and is absolute. Whatever power the priestess had, it always ends up the same way: the demon was killed. Even if it killed the Miko in the process, it's really impossible to rape a priestess. And even when given the most powerful potion that cancelled all her holy powers, they always succeed in coming forth to protect the woman. Kami's protection is really a thorn in my side, really.

Now then, you must be asking yourself why I could rut to my heart content with Kikyo without being purified, right? Well, that's where the solution lay. If the miko give herself readily to the demon, nothing happens to him and the youkai can walk away after the act, his lust sated." Naraku then made a pause to judge Kagome's reaction at all the information he had sent her way.

"Now you must be asking yourself what you are doing here if I have already a willing miko at my disposition, right? Well, as you well know, Kikyo isn't technically really alive so she can't help me, even if I was to make her alive again. Oh, by the way, I didn't tell you what she was gaining if she was to help me, did I? It must have slip out of my head. I'm so forgetful sometimes. But I'm sure that you must have a little idea what she desires more than anything, ne?

Yes, my little miko, as soon as I won't have any more use of you, she will steal the rest of your soul to finally be totally alive. It's at least what I have promised her in our deal. It seems like she has already tried in many occasions to take a grab at your soul but hadn't succeeded. Of course, I could give her your soul right now and have your body disposed of but there are two problems in this idea. One of them is that even if she was to be again part of the living, she will never be able to have children. Dead people can't give life, right? The second is that I'm dieing to know if you taste as good as you look, my sweet little miko." He said, smiling sickeningly at her.

_Oh hell no_. She thought with anger and dread. Naraku seemed to know what she was thinking.

"Oh yes, my sweet little Miko, you will give yourself completely and willingly to me and you will give me the offspring I want. You will of course be given a potion that will block your powers for a few months, during your pregnancy. It would be too bad if you were to purify our child, right? That way, I will have the power I seek and once the child will be born and absorbed in my body, I will have access to holy powers, without any risk. That way I will be totally immunized against purification. You will be the one giving me my powers, my little Miko. A child from you and me will be rather powerful. After all, if I want the powers of a miko, I have to have one of the most powerful around, right?"

Kagome looked at Naraku for a moment. _Is he serious?_ She thought, incredulously. She then gazed back at him in disgust, the anger she had accumulated finally exploding.

"You are totally out of your mind! If you think that I will let your put one of your dirty fingers anywhere on me then you are even more delusional and crazy than I first thought! You can forget your super new powers because you certainly won't have them from me! Not now, not ever! You can already release me because it will never happen, not a chance in Hell!! You are fuckingly insane!! You can go screw yourself for all I care because you certainly will never do me!!!"

She had seen the smile disappear from his face and then anger grow in his red eyes but for the life of her she couldn't stop yelling insults at him. Big mistake. Before she could react, Naraku back-handed her, her cheek throbbing in pain as her face was send to the opposite side violently.

"You will do it!!" He screamed at her face, his anger evident in his voice.

She turned her head to look at him, the bruise already forming on her cheek, her eyes burning with her hate. She spit at his face.

"Never!" She hissed between clenched teeth.

At her answer, all anger disappeared from his face, letting his face blank of any emotion. He stood up and looked down at her, not even making a move to withdraw the spit from his face. Tension and fear grew in her. It was strange and rather frightening to see the dark hanyou with an expression that you would more likely fine on Sesshoumaru, one that showed no emotion whatsoever.

He fixed his stare on her, making her grow even more uncomfortable, and then turned upside down the previously forgotten cup of tea. As the still burning liquid came in contact with the exposed skin of her thigh, Kagome let out a deafening scream.


	11. Chapter 11: instincts

Hello everyone! Hope you are all fine! :D

Reviews replies: 

**JenJen Midnightgirl : **I'm really glad that you like the plot and the story so much ! :)

**pandora-of-the-south : **it's not a bad idea ! Hope Naraku will not think about it too! Lol thanks for your review!

**ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS : **hope you haven't killed yourself this time around either ! ;P

**my name is paper YAH : **well, I can't answer your question or I would spoil the fun for you! You will have to wait to see if he will succeed in making her comply! :)

**Jeweled Fairy : **I'm glad that you like it so much ! And I'm happy that you understand and love the story so much! As for your question about Kikyo and InuYasha if they have… well I can't tell you! ;P Mostly because I still don't know if I will talk about it later or if I will be kind enough to all of you and don't subject you to the nauseous idea of them together..EWWW. *cough* Anyways, thanks for your review! :)

**Niaka1: ** Sesshomaru is mostly there because if he is trapped in this cell, he won't have the opportunity to interfere with Naraku's plans. That way, the hanyou know where the DaiYoukai is at every moment and can work on his plan to gain his new powers in 'tranquility'. Plus, to be able to capture and keep in a cell the feared demon Lord, in Naraku's mind, prove that he is, in a way, more powerful than Sesshomaru. Even more, when he will have his new powers, he will be able to crush the demon Lord like a little bothering fly, what he is unable to at the moment. Well, at least that's what the hanyou had in mind. Of course, Sesshomaru will have others roles too… Hope to have been clear enough for you to understand what I was trying to say! I'm not sure if I'm clear! -_-'

**kouga's older woman : **A hero you said ? Hm. Not a bad idea and it could be of a good use for her at the moment…you will have to wait to see if she will get one! Lol

**merlyn1382 : **if I wasn't mistaken, you asked why, if Kagome had so much powers, she can't destroy the collar, right ? The collar she is wearing is able to contain and control the powers of several mikos so it is able to resist any powers Kagome can have. If you were speaking about the collar of Sesshomaru, well in an earlier chapter, it had been said that Kagome can't touch his collar since it had been made with youki, it reacts rather violently to her touch. Even Sesshomaru haven't enough powers to destroy any of them if the spells are still in function. Well, I hope to have answered your question better this time. If you have any other questions, you know where to find me! :)

**1kenshinlover : **Yeah, it was that scream. I find it funny too! Well, I don't know if you had remarked but in a lot of movies, the 'vilain' always explain everything to his victims, why he is doing it and all. I find it funny 'cause often they speak so much that in the end that are caught because of it. Plus, I find it so much like Naraku with his big ego to think that she will just say: hey why not? Lets do it! Lol But in another hand, he had captured her and intend to keep her in his prison for some times and knew that she wouldn't just jump in joy at the idea but that doesn't mean he accept that she says no. He is really twisted that way. Thanks for your review!

**Sugar0o : ** lol, I love your way of thinking ! *grin* Kagome isn't that easily broken and Naraku will learn it. Thank you so much for your review! I love your works by the way! :)

Thanks to : **Fk306 animelover, Sesshomaru is Fluffy Evil, purropolisprincess, Hinatinha, AnimeAngel41, The Tears-Of-Heaven, Kamorea Chan, K.S.T.M, **for their review too!

I hope that I haven't forgotten anyone! Well, hop to the story now! :D

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Chapter 11 : instincts

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Kagome's voice finally died off in her throat. Tears were running freely down her porcelain like cheeks uncontrollably. It hurt. It hurt so much that she had difficulties to even breathe.

When she had screamed at Naraku that he could very well screw himself since it was sure as Hell that she wouldn't let him lay even one of his dirty fingers on her, she had seen his face morphing from his usual mysterious and evil smirk to a horrible snarl. She had known at that moment that she had gone too far and he was murderously angry at her for interfering with his plan to become the strongest 'demon' of Japan but she won't let him win, even if it was at the cost of her life. So she was ready to suffer the consequences to have gone against him.

Yes, she had been ready to feel his anger on her again. However, she had thought that he would 'just' slap her as he had done before when she had spit at his face. Over the pain she had been surprised. She hadn't been ready for the siring burning sensation against the sensible skin of her thigh.

She had totally overlooked and forgotten the existence of the tea cup. Funny, when two minutes ago, she had been so shocked to see this same cup of tea in his hands that she had for a moment see only that. For a second, she was thankful that it was 'only' a cup of tea and not the entire teapot.

Her body was trembling from the pain on her leg.

That's when he bent down, bringing his face only centimeters from hers. His obvious anger was flashing hotly in his red eyes. He wasn't finished with her, that it was obvious.

"You will bend to my will. You WILL give yourself readily to me and in consequence, give me the offspring I desire."

The cup of the fragile porcelain in his hand cracked and exploded with the strength of his anger.

"You will do as I say or I will break you in such a way that you will soon beg me to take you and end it all."

With that said, she felt something rip through her skin. She couldn't stop a small whimper from escaping her lips that she tried to cover with a glare in his direction.

That's when she realized that the object he had used to slash through her already injured leg was none other than one shard of the tea cup he had just broken. Kagome gritted her teeth tightly when she could feel the blood running to the interior of her tight. She realized that he wouldn't change his mind and wouldn't let the matter fall. Not that much surprising, knowing the devious hanyou. But she will not break that easily. The lives of hundreds, no thousands of people were in the balance. She will resist with all her might.

She would rather die than let the vile hanyou anywhere near her or her womb. She wasn't a baby machine and even less HIS. Just the disgust she felt at that thought was enough to convince her to not let him win, even if no other life was at stake.

"You will give yourself to me willingly…"

His hot breath brushed on her face as he was speaking, making her attention snap anew on him and what he was doing. If she had the possibility of movement, she would have backed away. He was way too close for her comfort.

He bent even closer, almost nose to nose and whispered, sending cold shivers running through her spine.

"….or I will break you."

With that said, he attacked her other leg, her arms, drawing blood again and again. Kagome tried to stay in control and not show her pain to her torturer, but it rapidly became too much for her and she finished by just screaming her pain to the Heavens...

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_Back with Inuyasha, on the other side of the well __…_

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When Inuyasha touched down on the other side of the well, in the future, he took his usual pause of a second to get used to the smell before jumping out and pulling open the well house's door in a sharp and short movement, making the building almost quaver on its foundations.

He looked around for a second to make sure that no one was there to see him. Last time he came to the future to retrieve the missing miko, he had jumped in her world without hesitation and Kagome had sat him rather forcefully because he hadn't paid attention before walking out of the well's house, frightening in the process the people present on the family shrine lands. Some of them had seen him really clearly and apparently, explaining the presence of a silver-haired and golden eyed man, wearing on old fashion red haori and hakama, with puppy ears and a katana at his side, isn't an easy task...

Inuyasha took a second look to make sure that the crazy old man wasn't lurking around, waiting to throw some useless sutras of his creation on his face or dumping some foul-smelling liquid. The smell had attacked his sensible nostrils and had taken several days to finally wash off. The young Inu-hanyou didn't particularly wish to experience it a second time.

Luckily, the old man didn't seem to be around. He was about to dash towards the house when he spotted the wench's little brother, in his school uniform, walking towards the steps leading out of the shrine's site.

As if feeling eyes on him, Souta turned around to look towards the well's house. A smile grew on his face when he saw the man...err...hanyou he secretly, or not so secretly, worshiped, standing there at the door.

At first, the young boy was happy to see him but he realized that the presence of the hanyou from the past in the future, right now, wasn't normal.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing here? Is something wrong in the past?"

"I'm here for Kagome." The hanyou answered gruffly.

At his words, the young boy froze in front of him. Immediately, the anger that had risen in him because of her lateness disintegrated.

"But Inuyasha, she went back on the other side of the well three days ago...Do you mean that you didn't see her?" Souta said, panic rising in him.

"She wanted to surprise you, so she left earlier. But you, where were you?! Weren't you at the well, waiting for her like always?"

Remorse hated at Inuyasha's stomach.

Panic had led to anger as the young boy was literally shaking in rage. Inuyasha took unconsciously a step back, shock to see the usually tranquil and rather timid child almost snarled at him.

"I…I was a-away for a few days, so I didn't see her coming back " The hanyou told him, amazingly quiet.

But the boy, apparently, wasn't satisfied with his answer. He sputtered. "W-what do you mean, you weren't there?! And you haven't seen her at all in the last three days?!! You are supposed to be her protector. You are supposed to protect my sister!" Souta all but screamed at the flattened-ears hanyou, tears already gathering in his eyes at the frightening thoughts of what could have happened to Kagome.

"What are you yelling about Souta?" Came the voice of Grandpa, as the old man was making his way towards them, narrowing his eyes at the demon standing in front of his grandson, and then snapping his attention to the obviously emotionally troubled boy.

"Inuyasha hadn't waited for Kagome on the other side of the well. She left three days ago but he didn't know and hasn't seen her!!"

"What?!? You demon! Where is my grand-daughter?!" Shot the old man in the direction was the half-demon was standing a moment ago, only to find the spot empty.

Inuyasha had zapped towards the well when the two humans were speaking with each other.

He felt like a jerk. There he had been cursing Kagome for her laziness and for being late, when the futuristic Miko had gone out of her way to come back three days earlier to make him happy, knowing her.

Worst, he hadn't been there to welcome her to the past, like he always does.

Again, he had failed her. Something must have happened to her when she was walking from the well towards Kaede's hut, alone. She wouldn't have left without telling the old hag first. Again he had left her unprotected while he was with his past love, Kikyo.

He shouldn't have left for so long before coming back or he shouldn't have left at all. He was really a worthless half-breed. He had sworn to protect her and again he had failed her.

She was weak, maybe not as weak as he pretended but not really able to defend herself. She may say that she can, and the others may say it too, but she was just a weak human.

As soon as he touched the other side, he jumped out. He started to sniff the air and cursed his stupidity.

He had jumped and was on the other side, ready to scowl at the girl, when if he had stopped a second, he would have smell that her scent on the hard old wood of the well was a couple of days old and not more.

At that moment, he saw the others arrived in the clearing, no doubt to welcome the young Miko back. Well, they are one short on the Miko side right now. He saw Shippo run towards him and then froze.

Immediately, the ears of the hanyou went flat on his head.

When they finally reached his side, the monk asked, "Is there a problem, Inuyasha? Where is Kagome?"

At his question, the demon slayer tensed up before him and sent him a death glare.

Inuyasha cleared his throat. "The wench came back early, from what I had gathered from her brat of a brother." He said, leaving alone the part where he had flee, leaving the young Miko's brother crying behind.

Without really waiting for their reaction, knowing that he wouldn't like it, Inuyasha went on all four and tried to catch her scent.

Sango was about to shake the Hell out of Inuyasha and throttle him when she felt a hand, surprisingly on her shoulder. She turned around just to see Miroku shaking his head. The slayer huffed and accepted, they needed to find Kagome's location and so needed to let the hanyou alone…for now.

Inuyasha continued his examination, unaware of what was happening behind him. He walked around, still smelling noisily at the tall herbs of the clearing.

He followed the trail and found what he had feared from the start: Kagome had been attacked as soon as she stepped back on this side of the well. He growled low in his throat and cursed at his stupidity anew. He shouldn't have been away for so long!

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Asked Shippo. "Did you find where Kagome went to?" The poor kitsune added, truly frightened by what could have happened to the Miko from the future.

Shippo was too young to be able to follow a lead already a few days old, so he had to wait for the hanyou. All members of the group were observing their hanyou friend on all fours sniffing the ground, then the air, and then back sniffing the ground while growling to himself. They waited as patiently as they could but after a moment, they couldn't wait for more longer. Clearing his throat lightly, the monk step forwards.

"Did you find something, Inuyasha? Can you tell us? Because, you know that we haven't your sense of smell." Asked Miroku, in hope to calm Sango down before she pounced on the unsuspecting hanyou and beat it out of him. He look down to try to find traces too that would help them to find their missing friend.

Albeit gruffly, the young hanyou answered his questions. "I can smell Youkai scents intermingled with her scent." He then growled before continuing. "From the trace on the soil, I can tell there has been a fight."

"Hai, I'm sure too. But look over there, isn't it ashes?" The monk added.

Immediately, Inuyasha went to where the monk was pointing, to examine the traces of the miko presence the others members of the pack had found. He was even a little shocked.

"Yeah, I can smell two demons dead here." Confirmed Inuyasha, slightly startled at what the supposed weaker member of his pack had succeed to do without any exterior help.

"See, Inuyasha, Kagome can defend herself well now." Said proudly the small kit.

"Yeah, well, it was all great until a third came by. She didn't fight against that one. He must have taken her by surprise, knock her out and left with her since after that, their two scents remain together." Said in his usual gruff voice.

He wouldn't tell them or even admit to feeling it, but he was impressed by the progress Kagome had done. Even more, from her attackers' scent, he could tell that it wasn't low weak youkai that had kidnapped their friend. But something was bothering him.

"There is something strange in the demons scents, but I can't pinpoint what."

The neko, whose had been almost invisible and forgotten as she was silent, jumped from her mistress shoulder and went to take a sniff of the traces too. When the scents washed her extremely sensible nostrils, she hissed.

"It's seemed as if Kirara can smell something wrong too." Said Sango, more and more worried for her dear friend.

"Hai, I can feel a deep malevolence in the era too." Started the monk, worry marring his face.

The slayer immediately tensed, fear gripping her heart.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice quavering slightly.

"Could they have been sent by Naraku?" Asked the kitsune, his body trembling.

"Come on, Shippo, don't think the worst-" But Miroku was interrupted before been able to complete his sentence, by a cursing Inuyasha.

"What is it Inuyasha?" Sango asked, worry evident in her voice

"Don't know, but it's possible." The hanyou grudgingly admitted.

"It's all your fault!" Squealed Shippo. "If you hadn't left for who knows where without telling anyone, Kagome would be here and safe!"

"Calm down, Shippo. Come on, we have to inform Kaede of what is happening and we will then decide what to do." Miroku calmly explained, trying to pacify the volatile emotions flying through their group.

Sango gripped tighter at the straps of Hiraikotsu to prevent her from jumping on the hanyou to beat some sense in him. She was dieing to just do that but refrained, knowing that they would need the hanyou in one piece to be able to find the lost miko. So she just contented herself by sending him a death glare before taking the road leading back to the village.

Inuyasha couldn't suppress a shiver to run up and down his spine at the icy look that was sent his way. To cover it, he crossed his arms on his chest and turned his nose up, signs of his stubbornness, "Feh".

That's when he received a hard pull on his sensible ears by Shippo.

"Come here you runt!" The hanyou yelled, ready to take off after the young kitsune to get him back, but he froze in mid-jump when he detected a salty scent clinging to the young Shippo; he was crying.

His ears flattered on his head in self-reprimand, Inuyasha walked towards the village after them.

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Back in the cell, with Sesshoumaru …

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Sesshoumaru was still pinned to the wall to his grand dismay. Worse than the boredom, now he was trying to calm down his beast. The moment he had heard that scream, filled with nothing but agonizing pain, his more primal side had surged out. He had rarely felt so much hatred and anger from his vicious beast.

It was pulling at his chains with such violence that Sesshoumaru had difficulties to contain it.

It had never been that way before. For a moment, all he could hear was that horrifying scream echoing in his mind, but horribly it was not the last.

Soon after, some other muffled screams followed, all coming from the delicate throat of the human Miko.

But something wasn't right here. It was strange that he could so easily hear her yells of pain when he couldn't hear anything else from the outside of that damned cell.

He had the suspicious disturbing feeling that the cellar had been made with that purpose in mind: so the prisoners could only hear the pain inflicted on the others. It was just sick. Gut-wrenchingly sick.

Even his prison back in the Western Lands weren't that way. Well, they weren't done to make you cut off from the rest of the world, where you could only hear the pain and nothing else. Strange but not a stupid strategy to destabilize one's enemy.

Sesshoumaru was finally pulled out of his thoughts when he now couldn't hear Kagome's screams anymore. His beast growled more viciously, obviously really disturbed. Then, it became uncontrollable at the idea of the possible demise of the human Miko.

His beast, as you can call it, isn't really an entity inside Sesshoumaru, that would be a little sick, but it was more like his baser instincts.

And right now, his beast, his instincts, were almost totally out of his control.

Sesshoumaru started to pull at his shackles to go to help the Miko, but he was still very securely pinned to the wall.

It wasn't like he really cared for the Miko's well-being or anything, the thought only of Naraku anywhere near her was disturbing enough by itself. He couldn't lie to himself anymore. Somewhere along the way, his instincts were seeing the young human as part of his pack, albeit a very low level and not wanted one but one still.

She traveled with his half-brother for years now and even if it disgusted the proud DaiYoukai, at some level, the half-breed, even if an insult to his clan by birth, was still part of his pack, a very miniscule one, but regrettably one all the same.

He wouldn't bat a lash if something was to happen to his half-brother or the human, but he couldn't accept a dishonorable death for any of his pack members, even the hated. That's why he had interfered when the hanyou had lost it and became a vulgar beast.

InuYasha was a disgrace in himself, not even able to control his own instincts, but it would be worse for the entire clan's honor, and his leader, if he was to die like an animal.

So, from what he could understand, his instincts were telling him to protect the human miko, as he would his half-brother, since the two of them were regrettably a part of his pack.

However, the Miko was the only one of his half-brother' followers that his beast viewed as a far distant member of his pack. Even without the link of blood relation, his instincts were more ready and almost vicious now to protect her, while it was just a murmur when it concerned his half-brother. It wasn't really because she was the first one that have joined forces with Inuyasha, but mostly by her actions in the past and even here, in the past few days.

First, she had released the half-breed from his tree, which he had foolishly been pinned to by a human wench. It wasn't enough to event merit a glance from him but it was still something.

She, a simple human, was able to actually bring forth the half-breed's natural instincts strongly, like he had never seen before, making the hanyou more powerful just by his wish to protect her. If he remembered correctly, and he always did, it's the first time Inuyasha had shown some of the instincts that were normally associated to their breed, other than the self-protection that was common to even low level youkai. Because of her, his half-brother was able to show that even if he was a stupid dirty half-breed, their great father's powers were showing through the inadequacy of his human blood.

She was defiant like he had never encountered before in his life. Females are naturally frightened by him and submissive in front of his powers. Most of the demonesses, even if some have some characters in private, were like that. It was the same when it concerned the human females. From what he had been able to see without really trying to, the females of the species were extremely submissive to the males, even when he didn't deserve it. But she wasn't at all. Even against him, in his presence or in battles, she was showing only nervousness and a small amount of fear. It was a behavior he was used to witnessing only when it concerned his own mother. The others trembled in fright before him.

She never judged a being by his species but by his actions and even by that, he wasn't sure that she was even able to hate anyone. Maybe Naraku had this privilege, and still, he wasn't even sure of that. She shone with a purity that was even too much for a Miko.

And then, there a part of her personality, the best part, she had show in the last days. Her caring nature towards him, who was supposed to be an enemy, had shocked him to the core. And that's what had pleased his beast immensely, showing him that she was subconsciously acknowledging her place in his pack. He knew now that she couldn't help it, but it was behavior he had never seen to this extent before in his long life.

He didn't really know if it was really qualified as a quality or not, but her actions had pushed his beast to action and to react more violently against her pain. She had, even involuntarily, acknowledged their small link by trying to protect him by taking hits for him, and by giving her help to his recovery. In a way, his beast had already viewed her as member of his pack, even obliging Sesshoumaru to save her live in the past, and now that she had acknowledged her membership to his pack by her actions, Sesshoumaru could do nothing more than to follow his instincts to some extent and protect her.

But he was still dumb-founded by her actions.

But more than that, they had come to an arrangement of sort, or at least, he had. She had to live until they get out and then he will go back to caring less what happened to her.

Plus, with all the spells used and the others possible things the dark hanyou must have up his sleeve, he could assuredly need her powers. And for that, she must stay alive.

Now that he had calmed down and had time to reflect on the subject, he wasn't as angered that he had needed her help with the poison in his injuries or at her for having tried to protect him, even if it was ridiculous for a weak human to think that she could protect him.

In fact, what did shock and disgust Sesshoumaru greatly was the fact that she, a weak human woman who hadn't a drop of youki in her bloodstream, was showing more instincts like a real youkai would, than his own half-brother. In fact, she was showing more protective nature than there was normally in a real canine-youkai, more than most of the female inu-youkai would, their greed for power often clouding their instincts.

It was a ridiculous action on her part, but it was something he could understand. He may be more cold and distant than others inu-youkai, but that doesn't mean his natural instincts weren't raging in him. So he understood her reasons behind her actions, he probably understood her protective nature better than herself, and it didn't disturb him as much anymore. But he won't let words spread on that matter outside of this cell.

He was still lost in his thoughts, when one of the ears of the DaiYoukai caught the click of the door resounding through the silence. It was as if a veil had been lifted from his senses. He could finally hear and smell what was happening just outside his cell for a second. But as soon as the door was opened, the scent of blood assaulted his sensible nostrils and overpowered everything else. HER blood…

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End of the chapter 11.

Hope you all like it ! :)

Thanks again to all the people who had taken the time to leave a review. It really warmed my heart to read your kind words. If any of you have questions or opinions to share, you know where to find me! ;)

Thanks again to 'FRIZZ' for her marvelous work on this new chapter. I know that I give her a lot of works to do with my horrible English level so thank you so so much!!!

Well, I'm off now,

Take care,

Sweetest angel


	12. Chapter 12: the strength of blood

Hello everybody!

I know, it had been a long time but as you can see, I'm still alive! Lol

Reviews answers: 

**kouga's older woman : **It's not a bad idea… if she had been there ! :P

**Kanae14 : ** So sorry to have made you cry ! Hope you will like this chapter. And glad that you liked the chapter 11! :)

**PinkSlytherin : ** well, it could have been a great idea as a way for them to get the Hell out of there but it won't be that simple… you will just have to wait to see ! :D thanks for your review!

**Jeweled Fairy : **thank you so much for your warm words. Every time, it's like a boost for me! :) Even if it is shorter than others, hope you will like this new chapter too! And thanks again for your ever faithfulness, you rock too! Lol

**Sesshomaru is Fluffy Evil : **well, I don't really know how to answer your question… -_-'

Like you said, it's not a "romance fanfic". And Love, as you will be able to see, is a too big word but yes, there will be a "closeness" that will build between them. Like often, when you face ordeals like Kagome is and will have to overcome, a sort of trust appear with the person, or youkai in her case, that is there for you during the worst time of your life. A trust and a better understanding of each other's nature. Everything that will happen now will be the base of what will happen in the end of the story and the second part that will come after. I'm not really sure if I'm clear but I hope to have answered your question in a way that had satisfied your curiosity. If not, you know where to find me! :) Thanks for your review.

**Sugar0o : ** the idea of a Naraku « toasted » by Kagome's powers is really seducing! Lol

An insane Kagome you said? Hm, well, I don't know but I still will keep it in mind. After all, it had just begun. The hanyou hadn't done his worst as of yet… And like you said, sometimes you have to survive the worst to have the best. thanks for the review!

**PsychoKoolaid : **sorry to disappoint you. The difference surely came because of a different beta… Well, it's a different one now so I hope the last chapters were more to your taste. Like I said once, English isn't my language so I make lots of mistakes so you will have to excuse the betas. I'm giving them a lot of work! :) But I'm glad that, beyond some grammar problems, you still like the story! As for Sesshy kicking Naraku's ass, well you will have to wait a little! :D

**Purropolisprincess : **I'm really glad that you like it. Yeah, Naraku's plan is enough to send shiver down your spine. Glad that you think it fit his personality. After all, he is a power-hungry monster. Anything that can make him more powerful is good for him.

**JenJen Midnightgirl : **well it's more instinctual right now than anything but it's the beginning.

As for InuYasha, it isn't the first, nor the last time, is big mouth and his 'act before thinking' problem, that will make a mess. ;)

**GeorgieGirl999 : **they will need more than Sesshomaru's anger to escape…

I don't particularly like the idea of a tortured Kagome either, but it is important for the plot. Plus, her courage and tenacity even after everything that will happen to her, will be the reason of a bigger respect from Sesshomaru and the base of them coming closer and working together to get out of there. As for InuYasha running off to Kikyo, it's old news. It's not like it was the first time. At the second he see one of her soul collectors, he is off. Plus, at that moment, he knew that Kagome wouldn't be there for a couple more days so he was 'free'. Well, it was what was planned. I agree with you though, sometimes I wish that I could hit him until some of his neurons, that fall in coma each time Kikyo is around, would come back to life!

**pandora-of-the-south : ** LOL, I really like your idea ! *grin* Sesshomaru beating the Hell out of Naraku with a Kagome cheering him on in the background. lol

As for some of the things you spoke about, you will just have a small part now and will have to wait for the next chapter to see the total reaction of Sesshomaru, I'm afraid. I still hope that you will like this chapter… thank you for your review! :)

**Loonaboo : **thank you so much for your review !

**dark shadowed rose : **glad that you like. But I'm afraid that I can't help you. I don't know anyone beta-ing code lyoko… I don't even know what is it! -_-'

Hope that you will find someone to help you.

**my name is paper YAH : **well, good question! Lol

However, you will have to read this chapter to see! ^_^

Thank you to: **Glykera, Fk306 animelover, WinterWillowWaters, AnimeAngel41, Hinatinha, Kamorea Chan, angelapage, K.S.T.M, **for their interest and review too! :D

Hope that you will all enjoy this new chapter!

I thank again 'FRIZZ' for her great work in beta-ing this story!

Well, all I have to do now is to wish at you all a happy new year and a great reading! lol

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_Previously, in the chapter 11 :_

…_the scent of blood assaulted his sensible nostrils…HER blood…_

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Chapter 12:

The strength of blood

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As soon as the scent of blood washed over him, the reaction of his beast was immediate, and it wasn't happy.

Sesshomaru looked through red eyes as two of the ugly things dragged the bloody unconscious form of the young Miko back into the cell.

The demon Lord closed his eyes and tried to will his baser instincts to calm down. He was trying to take back total control over himself as his beast was raging and pulling viciously at its chains while snarling angrily in the direction of the smelly yellowish reptilian youkai. If he wasn't restrained by those damn binding spells, those demons would have been no more. Even their mothers would have had difficulties to recognize their own sons after he had finished with them. Sesshoumaru could only agree with what his beast wanted to do to them. The Miko was theirs and no one had the right to touch her without their consent. If one day she had to be killed, it will be by Sesshoumaru's hand and no other, even if to be honest with himself, he had no real intentions of killing her.

Sesshoumaru breathed in deeply, trying to will his body to concentrate on anything but the sweet metallic scent of her blood that was clouding the atmosphere of the cell more and more as seconds passed.

His whole body was shaking from his rage as a deep and loud growl escaped his chest, making it vibrate violently.

Sesshoumaru rarely felt such anger taking grip of his being. On the contrary of what most people may think, the demon Lord had feelings. He was just better at hiding it, is all. But when it came to anger and rage, it was almost as difficult to contain in, in particular intense situations, as it was for any others youkai. The last time he had given into his anger willingly and foolishly, it was curiously the same day he had for the first time acknowledged the young miko's existence. It was in his father's tomb while he was trying to take the Tessaiga and his hanyou brother had cut off his arm with said blade. But even then, the anger hadn't been so over-powering as it was now. He hadn't had to fight it back that day as he was right now. Much of his powers were still out of reach so it would serve no purpose. He kept in mind the lessons of the past. But that didn't mean that it was an easy task.

Then, his ears twitched slightly and he mentally winced as the two ugly demons just dropped her unconscious form on the hard floor of the dark cell without a care of damaging her already beat up body further, making his beast howl with rage.

Their captors just ignored the demon Lord of the West completely and had started to speak at each others as if he wasn't even present. Their blatant disrespect to their better only angered Sesshoumaru more, who bared his fangs at them.

"It's too bad, don't you think, cousin?" Said one of the ugly youkai at the other.

"Yeah, I completely agree with you on that one." Answered the other, shaking his head as he was faking pity while looking down at what had been the out-spoken, happy young Miko that was part of InuYasha's rag-tag group.

"Uh-huh. She should have given in to our Lord and offered what he is seeking and everything would have been alright for her. Such a pity."

"Yeah, but she had to be stubborn and resist him. Such a foolish idea, indeed. As if she had another choice. Our Lord always obtains what he desires."

Smiling to each other evilly, they finally acknowledged Sesshoumaru presence and looked at his direction.

"In consequence, you are recuperating your partner of this cell for the moment, I'm afraid, _Lord_ Sesshoumaru. And I'm really sorry for not being able to give her back to you in the same state that she was before. We are leaving her in your capable hands for a little more time." Said one of them, snickering, as he addressed the other being present in the cell, albeit mockingly.

Sesshoumaru glared at them, trying with all his might to not let his gaze slide down towards Kagome's body currently spread on the moist soil of the cave. He knew he would lose the little restraint he had right now if he was to do that right at the moment.

The two ugly things then laughed at his face, showing clearly how threatening a rendered defenseless DaiYoukai was for them. They then walked out, talking to themselves, ignoring the raging Lord of the Western Lands they were leaving behind.

When the door was closed and Sesshoumaru was still not freed after a minute, he started to pull viciously at his restraints but the spell keeping him pinned to the wall wouldn't bulge one a bit.

That's when he saw a little door of sorts in the door of the cell at human's eyes height, like a skylight appeared on the cellar's door. Sesshoumaru was surprised because he hadn't seen it was even there before it was opened.

As it was opened, a nauseous smell assaulted his already abused sensitive nostrils. His nose flicked in disgust. The DaiYoukai had to fight with himself to not show more evident proof of his discomfort about this new scent. But the demon Lord was curious as to what or who could have such an atrocious scent. Vaguely, he remembered to have smelt it before. However, it had been out in the open and not in a confined space like the cell he was currently in, with a bleeding Miko at his feet.

Sesshoumaru then saw the visage, cold and unfeeling face of a person looking inside.

The eyes of the person scanned coldly the cell and finally fell on the bloody mess that was the young Miko. Sesshoumaru noted in the back of his mind, for later possible use, that as soon as that other person appeared, Kagome had started to move around, still unconscious, but whimpering as if in pain. This wasn't very surprising in the DaiYoukai's opinion, at the strong scent of blood that was coming from her direction. But there seemed to be something else going on here. It was as if that person was, only by her presence… hurting the Miko. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the new visitor.

He still hadn't looked down at Kagome, wanting to be calm as possible before taking a look at what he knew would anger his beast and him, in some way.

Sesshoumaru looked as an evil ghost of smile of satisfaction broke on the cold face as she spotted the young Miko's body on the floor. The DaiYoukai could feel the glee coming in waves from the intruder, obviously happy of the current state of Kagome.

The demon Lord couldn't prevent a threatening growl from rising inside his chest, gaining the attention of the watcher. Immediately, the face cooled down to its previous unfeeling state. With one last glance down towards the bleeding woman, she disappeared, the skylight closing abruptly.

As soon as it was closed, the moan of pain calmed considerably, even if not quiet completely but reduced all the same. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow in inquiry. What was happening here?

Not a minute after, the door was thrown open once more. At that moment, one of their captors walked in, carrying a little tub filled with what seemed to be water and some clothes. He left it in the middle of the cell, at Kagome's side, and walked out without a word.

This time, a few seconds after that the door was closed, Sesshoumaru was finally freed of his wall. He fell back on his feet with a grace that only Sesshoumaru was able to perform. Finally giving in his curiosity, because it was only curiosity of course, he wasn't worried for the woman's well-being, really, …or at least, that was what he was telling himself.

He made his way closer to her still form. Sesshoumaru internally winced as his beast was snarling angrily at what he was finally seeing. The DaiYoukai had to admit that she was a bloody mess and he was surprised that she wasn't dead yet. Humans are fragile and weak creatures, after all.

He nudged her with the tip of his shoe covered foot. She answered with a groan of pain. No, she wasn't dead.

Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, Sesshoumaru felt something pinch him in the inside at what she had suffered at the hand of their captors. From what he could see, it hadn't been pleasurable or even merciful. Most of Kagome's clothes were torn and ripped, leaving her barely covered, except for the blood covering her entire body. She had cuts all over her body. Some still had blood oozing out. She had been there for less than five minutes and she was already swimming in a pool of her own blood. She had been tortured, there was no doubt in the demon Lord's mind.

He then looked at what they had brought in after leaving her there, at their last 'visit'. It was a bassinet and some torn up clothes, obviously to be used as bandages. Sesshoumaru glanced at the still unconscious girl then back at the bassinet. He narrowed his eyes at the inanimate object. _Surely, they aren't counting on this Sesshoumaru to take care of the girl, to tend to her injuries, are they?_ The demon Lord thought. Just the thought of the word 'care' and his name in the same sentence was ridiculous and was leaving a bad taste in his mouth. He took an indignant air. He glanced back at the girl still on floor and who was, obviously unable to do it herself in her current state. _They did._ He thought with a sneer.

He fixed his stare on the still prone and whimpering form of the Miko as if ordering her to wake up and take care of her injuries herself only by the weight of his gaze.

His face was as impassible as always but his eyes were blazing in anger. They will pay, all of them and Naraku ten times more for the affront made at his person and then for what they have done to the Miko.

He didn't really care what happened to her but it was the principle. She was a member of his pack, in a twisted way and by harming her they are attacking him, and that, it was intolerable.

He nudged her again none too gently with his foot. She had to wake up and take care of her wounds or she would bleed to death soon.

After a moment, Kagome finally half-opened her eyes with a pitiful moan of pain, at which Sesshoumaru felt almost guilty to not have taken care of her injuries himself and let her sleep… almost.

When her eyes opened ever so slowly, bringing her back to the world she had tried to escape in her unconscious state, she was a little lost at what happened and where she was for a second, when the second after, everything came back and crashed on her. Kagome whined and whimpered like a wounded puppy, which was exactly what she looked like at the moment.

She had been tortured. Reality crashed on her when she realized exactly what happened to her. She had been tortured because she had refused to give herself to the devious hanyou.

As if answering to her distress, her powers burst to life. It was strange that now they were working when they wouldn't in the presence of Naraku or his ugly servants. However, she still could feel the weight of the collar around her neck so it hadn't been taken back. It was strange.

Her powers were really in a low level though. It wasn't surprising after having tried to rise to her help during all her ordeal at the hand of the cruel and devious hanyou, only to be absorbed and rendered inefficient by the collar still around her neck. From what she could remember, Naraku had so nicely explained that he had put a spell on the collar she was wearing, a spell from the old times that was used to contain the powers of 'deviant' mikos. Apparently, in the past, some mikos had been greedy for powers and before turning black, others holy persons would caught them and put a similar collar to hers on them to block out their powers. It was in the time of the grand wars, in what must have been the golden age of InuYasha's and Sesshoumaru's father, the grand general. Before Midoriko, who had been the most powerful miko known to have walked the earth, while keeping her soul pure. He explained too that he had modified the spell a little to suit his purpose but that it was still very similar in its operations. He had told her that as if it was a privilege for her to wear that collar!

Naraku had even the amiability to tell her that, even now in her powers-drained state, he still couldn't force himself on her. It was a divine protection so even if it kills her in the process, her purity would be preserved from the tainting touch of the youki. All in all, you could be tortured to death by a youkai but not raped! The ways of thinking of the Kami were really out of reach the common mortal…

Yes, the dark hanyou, like most villains, had been rather talkative during her torture-session.

She had the feeling that Naraku had taken a really pleasure in her pain. That's why she had tried to keep quiet at a maximum.

It hadn't been a great idea in the end. That had only angered the hanyou further and he had sliced deeper in her tender fragile flesh. That's when she had screamed. She had screamed until she couldn't do it anymore, her throat too painful to let out any other sound. But he hadn't stopped. He had continued to slice and punch her until everything went black.

Kagome tried to prevent a sob from escaping her, tears gathering already in her eyes. It had been horrible. Images of the event were floating in her mind and she couldn't do a thing to stop it. She shook her head to try to ride herself from the still too fresh, painful memories. It wasn't the time to grovel in self pity.

She looked around and then finally spotted the boots of someone standing just above her.

She yelped in fright and tried to get as far and rapidly away as it was possible only to fall back on the floor whimpering. All of her body was hurting, even in places she wasn't even aware of existing before.

She tried to sit up but as soon as she tried to push on her arms, the cuts that were just starting to close off in some place, popped opened in an incommensurable wave of pain. She tried to scream at her pain but her voice seemed to be trapped in her throat.

Blood was running down her legs and arms, creating a lake of blood where she was sitting up on. How many more blood was there in her veins? This was one of the stupid questions that were floating in her mind at the moment. How long before there is no more? Will she lose consciousness again? Was she going to die there?…

Kagome then shook her head anew for stopping the flow of morbid thoughts. She would prove to him that she was stronger than he believed. She wouldn't let him win and if she let herself fall in despair, it was like giving him his victory without a fight. No she will fight him and prove to everyone that she is strong.

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Sorry for the shorter chapter. Will try to do better next time! :)

Laters,

Sweetest angel


	13. Chapter 13: his cold, soothing presence

Hello everyone!

Hope you are all fine. I apologize for the late update and I thank profusely my beta 'FRIZZ' to have work so fast.

Reviews reply:

**dark shadowed rose : **So sorry to disappoint you by taking so long to update. I promise that the next one will come quicker. I had some difficulties with this one but finally I succeed to overcome them and produce this chapter. The next chapter is already half done so you won't have to wait as much. Plus, I have another story that will come soon (it's already in the capable hands of a beta) that is several months worth of work. Hope you will like it too, even if it's totally different! :) Really sorry for the wait and I hope you will like this new chapter too.

**Jeweled Fairy : **always a pleasure to have your opinion ! ;P You know Sesshomaru, fighting against himself and his pride isn't an easy task but I hope that you will like what happens in this new chapter. As for the person who had looked in, I can't tell! Lol who it is and what he or she was doing to Kagome will be reveled way later in the story…well more accurately in the second part, so keep in tune! Thanks for your review!

**jac80** : I hope too…lol Thanks for reviewing!

**Nicegresser : **thank you so much for your kind words. Yeah, it's suck for Kagome but it is necessary for the plot. Hope you will like this new chapter too!

**JenJen Midnightgirl : **I'm really glad that you like the way I make them be. Thanks for your review and hope that this new chapter will be of your taste too!

**pandora-of-the-south : **Yeah, I was laughing my ass off when I was writing about that part. I couldn't help it when I was imagining the face of Sesshomaru when he figured out that they planned for him to take care of her injuries himself. *grin* Glad that you liked it too!

**ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS : **You think so too ? LOL. Hope that you will like this new chapter too!

**Revengewantinggirl : **I really thank you for your review. I'm really happy that you like my story and the way it's evolving. Thank you so much and I hope that you will like this new chapter!

**Sugar0o : **Well, I can't confirmed or affirmed that you are right or I would spoil the fun ! *grin* I'm glad that you like it though. :)

I thank too : **GeorgieGirl999, miko19, 1kenshinlover, purropolisprincess, K.S.T.M, Kitsune Diva, loonaboo, my name is paper YAH, Kamorea Chan, PsychoKoolaid **for their review. Thank you so much guys to have taken some of your time to leave some words for me.

Well now, hop to the new chapter! :D

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Chapter 13 :  
His cold, soothing presence

Kagome finally looked up towards the owner of the boots that had entered her peripheral vision earlier, only to see Sesshoumaru and his impassible face.

She fixed her gaze on him for a moment, not knowing what to do, how to react. Curiously, seeing his unfeeling golden orbs looking down at her with something like boredom reflecting on his beautiful face, brought a sense of calmness to the poor girl. Slowly, the fear that had been oppressive, a weight on her lungs and squeezing her heart, was now slipping away. She could breathe easier.

Even after what she had been subjected at the hands of the hanyou and then been dropped back in the cavern of her imprisonment, it was pushed back at the second plan in the presence of Sesshoumaru. It seemed like there was a calm atmosphere surrounding the demon Lord everywhere he went. Some would qualifier it of cold and uncaring, but Kagome still found it soothing right now.

When you have the Taiyoukai around, you can have the certainty that, beside his own claws, you are as safe as you can be in the Feudal Era. The demon Lord is a force of the nature in his own rights, that was uncountable.

Her friends and Inuyasha would surely think her crazy but for Kagome, to have Sesshoumaru there was comforting. He doesn't have to do anything to make you feel safe. Strange when you thought that he could kill her in a blink and had already tried in the past.

"You are bleeding." Came the cold voice of the demon Lord in question, startling the poor beaten Miko.

She wasn't in condition nor in the mood to 'play' with him. It wasn't as if she had remarked it. She was just too tired and worn out to be angry by his way of stating the obvious.

"I know." She succeeded to let out with lots of difficulties, her voice hoarse from her earlier screaming.

He looked down at her and she looked back at him for a moment, thinking and trying to guess what he wanted. Really, he wasn't a man of words, she knew that, but if he just content himself to state the obvious and then fixed her, they weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

She then saw him flex his hand and for the first time she truthfully looked at him. She then remarked that he seemed agitated which was not common for the demon Lord. Actually, he seemed more than agitated even.

His eyes, even with the dim light available, seemed darker to her, not red but close toit. With his torn haori, she could see the muscles of his arm trembling.  
Did something happen here too, while she was 'out'?

Or maybe,…it's the scent of blood that put him on the edge? It was like he was trying to control himself and was succeeding only barely.

_He must think that I am even weaker that he first thought. He must be disgusted to have to share his cell with a weak human like me…disgusted to even have to share the same air with a pathetic creature like me…_Kagome thought pitifully. She couldn't be too far from the truth, in her opinion. In the state that she was currently in, it would not come as a surprise if he or anyone else, was to think of her as such.

She wanted to be brave, to show him that she wasn't that weak. She may not be really powerful, but she wasn't a pathetically frail creature either. She had to prove it and now was the best moment to do so. The young woman didn't know why the opinion of Sesshoumaru on her person was so important to her. Maybe, it was because he was the elder brother of Inuyasha. The hanyou could say whatever he wanted, but it couldn't change the fact that the demon Lord was, by far, more powerful than him. Her hanyou friend had just too much pride to see it clearly and admit it. So, if Sesshoumaru could see, even if a little bit of worth in her, if he could think of her as more than just a small weak pathetic creature, then, in a twisted way, it would perhaps make the degrading constant complains of her hanyou friend about her weakness and uselessness more bearable. It wouldn't be much but if a magnificent creature as Sesshoumaru could see some worth in her pitiful human body then maybe she would feel less of the weight of her inadequacy burdening her since her first arrival in the Feudal Era.

She had observed Sesshoumaru when he battled. It was seriously difficult to just not stop everything and stare, really. If it wasn't for the life-threatening situation she would find herself in if she was to do just that she would have watched him for sure. But she had remarked something important during their various encounters with the demon Lord: she had clearly seen a difference in his way of fighting his half-brother vs. against any other opponent. It seemed as if he had some conflicting feelings in him. As if, in one hand he just wished to tear his little brother apart for the 'taint' on his royal family blood that was Inuyasha's existence, when in another hand, he couldn't totally shake off the fact that the hanyou was still his brother. Each time, if you looked attentively, really attentively, you could see a millisecond of hesitation when he is about to hit Inuyasha. It was as if his mind wanted to kill the hanyou at any cost while his body didn't really want to. It was, most of the time, due to this hesitation that the hanyou had escaped with his life. It might have been that hesitation, this distraction, coupled with his blind rage that had given Inuyasha the opportunity the slice off his arm. Her hanyou would deny it with everything he was worth but Kagome knew better.

She had tried to discuss the matter with the demon slayer at one time, during their usual girl-talk while bathing, but Sango had brushed it off, saying that the young Miko was thinking too much about it. That Sesshoumaru was just a bloody beast that couldn't stand the thought of his noble blood running through a dirty hanyou and it was his usual underestimation of their hanyou friend's powers that was preventing him killing him off, nothing more. Kagome hadn't pushed more, seeing that her friend's opinion wouldn't budge no matter what she would say about it.

The young miko couldn't blame the demon slayer for her opinions. After all, she was raised to hate every youkai and even if her heart had softened a little since traveling with them, the slayer couldn't shake off the way of thinking with which she had been nursed from birth with. Sometimes, Kagome thought that she was only in good terms with InuYasha and Shippo only because one was half-human and the other only a child. Sango was always tensed whenever even Kouga was around so it seemed to speak much about that idea.

The young Miko had doubted her ability to judge people's character and had said such to their monk companion during one of their training sessions. Miroku said that he hadn't seen it as she had but after observing their next encounter with the demon Lord, he had admit that he could also see, if looking very closely, that Sesshomaru's hits on Inuyasha did appear to be somewhat less accurate compared to when he was fighting against another opponent.

Sesshoumaru was really a deadly creature, and if she could show him…No, she will show him that she wasn't some weak pathetic human.

Her eyes refocused, emerging from her thoughts, only to remark that she had been unknowingly staring at the demon Lord since she had woke up. She looked down, avoiding any more eye contact as a blush was rising on her cheeks. Sesshoumaru had stayed silent watching her as she was watching him. Now, that's embarrassing. More than weak, he must think that she was dumb now.

Seeing what their captors had left for her to use, with measured movements, slowly, Kagome reached for where the so-called bandages lay, and took one of the torn cloths to cleanse her injuries herself. Even the slightest movement was provoking searing pains going through her body.

But she didn't want to be abandoned. She wanted to prove to Sesshoumaru and herself that she wasn't just some frail creature. Plus, it was a good way to try to not think of what had happened to her a few hours earlier, when all she really wanted to do was to curl up in a corner and cry. But she wouldn't let Naraku win. She would fight tooth and nails even if it was the last thing she was going to do. When he was trying to break her, at least he wasn't hurting any more mikos, or she hoped so. That's what she was telling herself to try to gather her courage.  
With all her might, she tried to think only of taking care of her wounds and nothing else before being too tired to do so. She tried to let go of the feeling of deep hurt that was stabbing her heart at the idea of what Inuyasha could be doing right now, and worst, what he could have been doing while she was abducted and thrown in the damp smelling cell she was in right now.

They must be aware of her disappearance by now, since, if her calculations were correct, today was the announced day of her return. Her friends must be really worried about her.

A sob threatened to escape from her lips when she thought back to all what the dark hanyou had told her. She doubted that he had lied. He was way too proud of himself for it to be a simple lie. But Kagome tried to shake it off. Now wasn't the moment to think of that.

So she tried to cleanse her injuries by herself. However, it was more difficult than she thought. She couldn't move her arms much so she started by taking care of her legs. One of her thighs was a deeper red from the light burn of the tea. Even with the blood, she could see it. And blood, there was a lot of it. She had lacerations all over them, the most being concentrated on her thighs. By 'chance', due most assuredly to her position at that moment, all the cuts were on her front.

She couldn't prevent whimpers and hisses of pain from escaping her as she was slowly cleaning the bloody mess that was her legs. Her movements, even moderated, had opened back up the deep slices she had on her arms. She bit down her bottom lip hard, drawing blood in the process to not yell out her agonizing pain. She wouldn't let a sound fall from her mouth without a fight. Already the clear water in the little container had turn bloody red and she had just started. Only now did she remark that something was in the water. From the herbal scent of it, it must be some medicine. At least, they had thought about giving her something to prevent infections. Well, she wouldn't be of any good if dead, would she?

She could feel the heavy gaze of the demon Lord on her, following her every move. It was as if she could feel his disgust of her human fragility only by the way he was looking down at her. With him as witness, it was making Kagome even more stubborn about taking care of herself alone. Well, it wasn't as if anyone could help her where she was, right?

From the corner of her eyes, the young Miko could clearly see the hand of Sesshoumaru, his clawed fingers flexing as if he was battling with himself. Maybe he was thinking about killing her off to put her out of her pain. How she must look pitiful, weak and disgusting in his eyes right now. Yes, that must be it.

In a way, she would have been happy to welcome death to end the pain if it was to be given by his hand. If the physicals injuries weren't enough there was the fact that each time she closed her eyes, she was reliving her ordeal. Yes, death wasn't such a bad idea by the 'merciful' hand of the demon Lord. She wouldn't give that pleasure to Naraku, even if she was fairly sure that it wasn't his intent to kill her anytime soon. If you looked at where he had struck her, it was showing that much.

Some cuts were deep, yes, but none of them were placed in any vital strategic place. He didn't slice hazardously, everything was meticulously calculated. He had cut where it hurt, where it would blood that's for sure, but not at any life-threatening place. Then, they had placed water with medicine and bands. It was the minimum to take care of her injuries. That's spoke volumes. Naraku had no intentions to kill her anytime soon.

Sharp pain raked through her leg when she tried to take care of one of the deeper wounds on her thighs. She tried again but this time could stop a pain-filled yelp from escaping her. However, what happened next shocked Kagome to the core.

Finally, the demon Lord of the West had made his move, but he didn't do what she had betted on at all. He wasn't killing her for her show of weaknesses, but took the cloth she was trying to cleanse her injuries with from her shaking hands and started to take care of her injuries himself. He was cleaning them conscientiously, with care and without inflicting more pain than necessary.

Sesshoumaru had been battling with his beast. It was pointing out the poor alpha he was to have let some scum like Naraku so thoroughly hurt one who was under his protection. He may not particularly like the young Miko but he had to admit, even only in the confines of his mind, that he was impressed by the reaction of the beaten up woman. Most women would have just lain on the ground whimpering and whining about their conditions but not her. No, she had faced it head on. At close inspection, the damage were worse than he first thought now that he could see it clearly. Naraku hadn't stayed his hand at all. Lacerations were present everywhere on her legs and arms. No critical points had been touched however, but the vile hanyou had slice where it was sure to be painful and to bleed profusely. It was remarkable work, indeed.

In the privacy of his mind, Sesshoumaru marveled at the fact that she wasn't crying to herself like would any pathetic human. At this point, his respect for her went up of a notch. Finally, maybe she was meriting her low rank in his pack.

For the demon Lord, she was meriting her place more than the half-breed and most of his clan was, only by the fact that it was by her actions that she had won her place. He was even surprised when she had sat up and proceeded to take care of her wounds by herself and not let herself bleed to death.

For a full-blooded youkai like himself, it wouldn't take more than a day or two to have those kind of wounds be only a bad memory. But Sesshoumaru had learnt from his travels with Rin that it was really different for humans, showing again why they were inferior beings.

A simple little cut on a finger can take days to heal. Yes, his beast was pleased with her but at the same time, angry at himself for not having prevented her injuries. Sesshoumaru was really pleased on another hand to what her injuries were pointing out: she hadn't given in to whatever the dark hanyou was seeking. Even under torture, she hadn't given in and the words of the guards only confirmed it. Whatever Naraku wanted from her, he still hadn't obtained it from the Miko. She had resisted him.

He looked back down and observed silently as the young woman was trying to take care of her wounds, but her movements were opening back up the ones on her arms that had just stopped bleeding.

Sesshoumaru was more than certain that she could feel his intensive gaze on her and it seemed that it was only urging her to continue. It was as if she was trying to show him her worth. Whether or not it was her intention, it was working.

The demon Lord had to stop himself from not getting on his knees and take care of her injuries by himself like a real inu would: by licking them clean. He had to restrain himself from doing just that. But he couldn't let her injure herself further like this either. It was unfitting for someone of his position but instincts were difficult to go against.

Finally, deciding on what he felt was the lesser of two evils, Sesshoumaru fell elegantly on his knees and took the cleansing cloth from her pain-filled shaking hands. He heard her gasp at his actions but paid it no mind and rinsed the cloth, before starting to cleanse the sliced skin and fresh blood from her lacerations himself.

The Lord of the Western Lands tried to not think too much of what he was doing or he would assuredly be horrified by his own actions. Really, he was a Lord, the leader of his clan and here he was treating the wounds of one of his underlines, the lowest at that. It was degrading for the Taiyoukai but it was a necessity. He couldn't really stand there and do nothing while she could possibly bleed to death at his feet.

With a care that would have shocked more than one who knew of him, Sesshoumaru cleansed her injuries and bandaged them. He tried to not think too much about it even as he was feeling the weight of the young Miko's gaze on him, following his every move. He was thankful though that the usually talkative woman wasn't asking questions at the moment.  
Sesshoumaru was surprised that beyond the prior shock by his actions, Kagome remained unmoving, letting him do anything he wanted to her. For a youkai, to let someone so close after being injured is rare and a show of trust that was unbelievable coming from the little miko for him. After all, he had tried to kill her in the past, even if it was only when she was in his way. She shouldn't trust him that easily. She was way too naïve for her own good. Even if they had established a temporary truce, she shouldn't trust him so much. On another hand, a small part of him was pleased that she didn't doubt his words. His instincts were screaming at him for his incompetence to not have been able to protect her from Naraku.

He was her Alpha. He had to admit it now, and it was his role to assure her protection and he had failed her. It was her right to push him away… Sesshoumaru had decided, for the time being, to not fight his instincts more than necessary. He was still in a weaker state because of his collar so no need to fight with himself and tire himself further.

Plus, there were more important things he had to take care of, like finding a way out of here……

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End of the chapter 13.

Hope you like it!

I apologize again for the late update to all of you guys.

Take care,

Sweetest angel


	14. Chapter 14: safe

Hello everybody! :)

Hope you are all well.

I don't know if you heard of it on the news or not but here, where I live, in the South of France, we had a furious tempest two weeks ago. Gah! It had feel like it was the end of the world! Lol

Because of some strong wind, a big and important electric pole (among others little ones) had fallen, shutting down the electricity for hundreds of thousands of people…and sadly, my house was part of it. We passed a whole week-end ('til Sunday late evening) without electricity which imply too, no heater (our boiler need electricity to work), no way of cooking anything (everything in our kitchen work with electricity, even the oven), no water, no phone… It was Hell, I'm telling you! No computer, no TV and unable to go out since some trees had fallen on several roads due to the wind too… Two words: Sooooo boring! Lol How people were doing, at the beginning of the last century, without TV or computer to occupy themselves for a so long time without being bore to death?!

*cough, cough* Enough of my complains for now. :D

Reviews replies:

**ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS :** Glad that you liked! Yeah, a little 'moment' between those two, but still a really little! Can't happened too quick or Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to survive the shock about his own actions! :P Thanks for your review.

**JenJen Midnightgirl :** I'm really happy that the chapter 13 had pleased you ! :) I put some 'conversations' in this new chapter just for you! It's not much for now but it's still something. Hope you will like it! :D

**kouga's older woman:** I'm glad that you liked it! It's really difficult to find a way to make Sesshomaru show some care when he not really 'cares' for anyone! -_-'

**Jeweled Fairy : **Always a pleasure to read your 'long' review in answer of my 'short' chapter ! LOL About the others, well, you will see them soon to peak a little at what they are doing while Kagome is in the oh so talkative presence of Sesshomaru! *grin* However, it's not in this chapter and maybe not in the following one…but it will be soon! :) As for your idea about a youkai law that Sesshomaru could call upon to keep Kagome at his side…well, I don't know! Can't tell! :D Thanks for your review.

**flooding-rivers : **where did I put « toit »? -_-' In french it means something but how did I let it slip? I apologize for the error. *blush* I know, it's not really 'funny' to see Kagome been tortured but it's necessary for the plot. That way, she can show her strength and 'exist' in the eyes of Sesshomaru. Respect came with strength and they need this to grow…hm, closer? I'm glad that you understand it so well! :) Hope that you will like this new chapter!

**dark shadowed rose** : Yeah, Sesshomaru can't become all nice and touchy-feely with Kagome like that, out of the blue. It's just not right. But, he isn't as cold as he appears to be. Well, I don't know him personally, really really too bad! ;( but it's how I see him. Glad that you liked! And thanks for your review.

**pandora-of-the-south** : I won't say I didn't thought of it too ! lol And I'm not saying that it can't happen *wink* but I think it's too soon for this kind of actions. *grin* Though, your idea had set my own lecher-ish mind in fire! LOL About the 'confidence thinky' well, it will have to happen at one point…only not in this chapter! ^^ Thank you again for your review! Your support always faithful support really warm my heart! :D

**1kenshinlover: **I'm really glad that you liked the way I put it! Kagome, even in the original works, haven't a lot of self confidence about her powers. Even in the series, she often doubts that she is powerful enough to do things when she stops to think. But at the same time, if someone is in danger, she will just run ahead to protect the ones important to her. That's why I thought that her falsely thinking that Sesshomaru saw her as weaker than she really is would fit in. Well, hope that you will like this new chapter too!

**MyTwiliLove : **Glad that you too like the way I made Kagome be. About your questions: for the n°1, well, I still haven't decided if I will make her participate directly in Kagome's torture or not, or if I will just have her 'torture' Kagome's companions by leading them away. Hm, I will have to ponder this further. For the n°2, the cave is in a place similar with the mont …I don't remember the name -_-' Well you know, where there is a spiritual barrier around it, protecting the place, in the manga. This cave had more 'links' with the ugly servants than with Naraku as you will see later… Question n°3, about the possible other prisoners. Well, I can't answer your question just right now since it will be discovered later in the chapters. So I pass this question. Question n°4. I will have to pass this one too! ^^ the spell was broken at a moment when Kagome wasn't there? o.O Anyways, thank you so much for your review and I hope to have answered satisfactorily at your questions. If you have others, feel free to send them too! :D

**Twilight-Vampire16:** Can I really have this ice cream? *stars in the eyes* LOL Thank you for your review.

**Obabicakez:** Thank you so much for your support and kind words!

**Sesshomaru's Lady 122**: *blush* Thank you sooo much for your review! :) Just reading it had been a wonderful boost! Lol

Silveromance : Good God ! Any more praises and I would be flying! LOL I'm really really glad that you think so. I hope that you will continue to appreciate it! :D Thanks for your review.

Thanks too to : **my name is paper YAH, Dragonsdaughter1, GeorgieGirl999, PsychoKoolaid, purropolisprincess, FluffyandKagome,** for their reviews.

Well now, Hop to the story! ;)

Thanks again to "FRIZZ" for her beta-work on this new chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha. *sigh*

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Chapter 14 :  
Safe

Sesshoumaru finished bandaging the last of her wounds and put everything away while the young Miko was still in a daze about what had just happened. It was something difficult to swallow, really. It was almost impossible to wrap it around her mind. Who would believe her if she was to say that the Lord of the Western Lands had taken care of the injuries of a simple human, even worse, his half-brother's wench? It was surreal. Even Kagome, whom was at the receiving end of the 'care' of the demon Lord couldn't believe it.

But it proved at least that she was right: there was more about the DaiYoukai than what people gave him the credit for. He was more than just a blood thirsty beast. Oh, she wasn't kidding herself, imagining that the demon Lord actually cared for what was happening for her, he was just honoring their 'truce' by making sure she wouldn't die. He had seen that she couldn't take care of her wounds herself and by pity maybe, or just because she wasn't grating on his nerves by whimpering like a beaten puppy at his feet, he had taken the matter in his hand. That must be it. The idea of having to share his cell with her corpse mustn't be of the taste of his royal palate.  
Kagome couldn't help but compare the two brothers. She knew that, in his own ways, Inuyasha cared for her well-being, but she had to admit that she wasn't sure if her hanyou friend would have done as his elder half-brother. No, he would have probably whined about her condition or been angry but the young Miko had doubts that he would have been able to take care of her as Sesshoumaru had just done.

But what was the most shocking was the way he had done it. He had done everything possible to not hurt her more that she already was by using gentle movements, and that in itself was surreal for as deadly a creature as Sesshoumaru. Even more when you saw the dexterity of his every move, knowing that he had only one hand to use.

Being so close, Kagome could feel his anger raging just under his skin but was at a lost as to the reason for his feelings. Was it because of her condition or more realistically because he was obliged to take care of a lowly human and soiled his hands?  
Whatever were his reasons to help her, she was grateful. But, at the same time, she felt sorry. Sorry because she felt like she was forcing his hands to do something so out of character, and for the demon Lord, it must be somewhat painful, if only for his pride. That's why she hadn't questioned him. She had let him do whatever he wanted to her. She must be crazy but she trusted him to not hurt her.  
On the contrary of what InuYasha said about his half-brother, she knew that Sesshoumaru had a great deal of honor and would never hit someone who is already down. He had already proved it, as a matter of fact, when he had just knocked out InuYasha when he had lost his mind to his youkai blood. He could have finished him once and for all but hadn't.  
So she stayed as still as she could, moving only to accommodate him in his work on her. She took this opportunity to get a real look at him. It wasn't everyday that you could be so close to the demon Lord without having your life in the balance, right?  
Each time her eyes fell on the Lord of the Western Lands, he took her breath away. He was so beautiful, but more than that, there was an aura about him that just made her heart skips a beat every time their respective groups crossed road and she saw him. She couldn't help it. If InuYasha was to hear about it, he would surely have kittens!

Already she was feeling better. She didn't know what mixture they had put with the water, but it was really powerful. The pain was numbed.  
She turned to face the demon Lord and bowed slightly at him as she could in her sitting position.  
"Thank you, Sesshoumaru."

They stayed a moment without saying anything, the young miko fidgeting under the intense gaze of the DaiYoukai.  
"Hn." He finally said, nodding almost imperceptibly.  
Kagome had to resist the urge of smiling. It was so typical of the Lord of the Western Lands, always this "hn". There weren't two "hn" identical or with the same significance. She was glad too that he hadn't voiced that it wasn't for her that he had done that. She knew it very well. So she was content with his 'hn'.

She was starting to try to get comfortable enough to get some rest when his deep voice startled her.  
"Miko."  
She turned to face him. "Hai?"  
As predictable as ever, Sesshoumaru didn't answer. He just stayed there, fixing her in his gaze. Surprisingly, the young miko kept her cool. She couldn't very well ask of the DaiYoukai to go against his nature and character, could she? Plus, he just helped her in her time of needs. She didn't have to force herself to stay calm, however. That, in itself was strange. If it had been InuYasha or anyone else, she would, probably, already have asked more forcefully, exasperated to have to guess what he wanted from her. But now, with him, she didn't feel ticked by his attitude. Odd.  
That's when Kagome saw that he wasn't looking at her face but below. She looked down, trying to find what had captured so completely the attention of the demon Lord that he would acknowledge her. She didn't understood directly but after a moment of pondering where she was try to find what was so different about her that Sesshoumaru had remarked it, she finally understood.  
She avoided eye contact, not really wishing to reveal to the demon Lord what had transpired between her and the dark hanyou. She cleared her throat lightly, it was still hurting badly from her screaming.

"Hmm…it-it's a collar a little similar to yours but this-this one isn't limited to this cell. It's blocking my powers completely or more precisely absorbed them rendering me even more entirely useless against Naraku and his ugly servants." She paused a moment. Could she ask him? It wasn't the moment to go on the bad side of the demon Lord after what he had done for her by asking questions and irritating him. Well, here goes nothing. Taking in a deep breath, she finally spoke.

"I…I don't know how it is activated though. Naraku hadn't said a thing about it. But it seems to work only when they are around me. Yours is different though. When they…when they took me away, I saw a spell written all around the door just outside, so we can fairly deduce that if we find a way to make you go out of this cell, you will be free without restraint to do anything you want with them. Mine is different and I don't how it works."

She waited as calmly as she could. She really hoped that she hadn't irritated him. However she was shocked when the DaiYoukai answered.  
"The hanyou and his servants have metallic bracelets they hadn't before. Your collar must react to the presence of the said bracelets and block your powers in response. If the door doesn't open again, by morning, your powers will be back in their fullest." Concluded the demon Lord in his same bored tone.

"O-Ok." Was the only answer she could muster, still in a daze to have Sesshoumaru answering her questions. She hadn't even remarked that they had bracelets!

Sesshoumaru too was shocked. He didn't know why he had answered her questions. After all, the DaiYoukai answered to no one, and here he was, with his half-brother's wench of all people! What was wrong with him?  
Fire-like anger spread within him. He didn't like to be taken off guard. But since he had been forced to share space with the young Miko, he had done several things out of character, and the demon Lord really didn't like it one a bit. Well, now it was done so he couldn't change a thing about it. This infuriated him further. He then thought that since he had answered her questions, she will immediately answer his. He wouldn't wait until she recovered before asking his own share to sate his curiosity.

"Miko, you will report now what the hanyou wanted."

Her breath hitched in her throat and Sesshoumaru could hear her heart accelerating as her scent was clouded over with fear once more. Maybe now wasn't the moment to ask, or order, but Hell she had made him act out of character one too many time so he felt he merited some explanations to appease his curiosity and his anger.  
Kagome started to shake uncontrollably. After a moment, when Sesshoumaru thought she wouldn't answer, she spoke quietly.

"Naraku wants powers. Always more powers. What he wants, only a miko can give it to him."  
With that said, she turned her back to him. She knew that it was impolite if not downright rude, and that it was a risk of angering the demon Lord further, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't risk for him to see her in that state, as tears were gathering in her eyes. She was tired, oh so very tired physically and mentally. A sob raked though her broken body.

The Lord of the Western Lands wanted to be angered by her rude behavior, but seeing her body quavering in terror and the salty scent of her tears in the air, he decided to let it go, just this time.  
He watched as she curled up on the soil, wincing at each movement of her arms and legs to finally settle to sleep.

……………

Kagome tried to get some rest but it wasn't easy at all. As soon as she closed her eyes, images of the previous event came ever fresher in her mind.  
She tried to not show too much to Sesshoumaru, but it was quasi-mission impossible with the scent of fear that must be clutching her very being and the tears running down her cheeks. However, she had to. She wasn't ready to answer anymore of his questions that he most assuredly must have on the reason of their capture.  
No, she wasn't ready for that part as of yet. So she turned around, mindful of her injuries and tried to fall asleep, willing the red eyes and sadistic smile to stop haunting her.

……………..

From his spot, Sesshoumaru observed her rolling over, falling asleep, then waking up a moment later, reeking of fear and crying, then comforting herself and rolling again only to start the cycle anew. Apparently, her being tortured for whatever was the reason of Naraku, was leaving more sequels than she was willing to show. The demon Lord had been curious and was dying to know more, but with how bad a shape she came back in and the fear that seemed to refuse to leave her, he had restrained himself from doing so for the moment. However, as he saw her finally falling back to sleep, curiosity was eating at his insides.  
And as soon as her eyes closed, he knew that she would wake up again, trying with all her might to not yell out her fright. He respected her for that but if the cycle continued like that, she would never recover from her injuries.

Not a minute after the thought had entered his mind, Kagome started to whimper and thrash around in her sleep again.  
Something was different from before though: she wasn't waking up. This time around, she seemed to be trapped in her dream or nightmare. His instincts were yelling at him to do something, but what could he really do?  
His beast continued to say how much of a useless alpha he was. He had let one of his pack to be tortured and now that the nightmare, surely of what happened, was haunting her, he was powerless against it. He knew that she had just shown a courageous front for him and that she was trembling in fear just under her skin.  
Finally giving in to his urge to do something at least, Sesshoumaru rose and walked towards the thrashing young woman on the ground. It was the same with Rin when she had nightmares: he was powerless to stop them. However, this time around, there wasn't any toad to kick awake to make them go away. He was all alone. If he wanted something to be done, he had to do it himself. So troublesome.  
What was worst for Sesshoumaru was that, on the contrary to Rin's case, he had been right here during Kagome's ordeal and hadn't done anything to prevent it from happening. His beast couldn't stomach it.  
Well, if he was sincere with himself, he would say that he had been unable to do a thing to still the hand of the dark hanyou. That it hadn't been done by his own volition. But that wasn't stopping his beast to rest the entire responsibility on his shoulders. She was pack. She had tried to stop them, even if foolishly, when they were beating him up, even taking the hits for him. And what had he done in return? Nothing. It felt like he had let the dark hanyou torture her, even if it wasn't the truth, the feeling couldn't be shaken off.

Sesshoumaru, if nothing, is a person ruled by pride, which had made it difficult for him to admit that he had need of the human's abilities, when he was almost dying. But honor is also important. After what she had done for him, who was an enemy to her, without second thought or second agenda or even asking anything in return, he was honor-bound to her. It would have been the case even if she wasn't a pack mate. This feeling was even stronger just because she was though.  
That's why he had been compelled to assist her in cleansing her wounds. His instincts would have preferred direct contact, like licking clean her wounds and grooming her. But Sesshoumaru never let his instincts to rule him in the fullest and control him, it was beneath him.

The DaiYoukai squatted at Kagome's side to reach down and shake her awake so she could escape her nightmare but he froze in mid-movement, eyes slightly larger in his shock. His mind was trying to process what was happening before his very eyes.  
Sesshoumaru studied the sleeping face of the Miko attentively for a moment. His clawed hand, as if a mind of itself, went to push back a strand of hair out of the way that had fallen on her face. Realizing what he was doing, his hand snapped back to his side as if he had been burn and stand. _What am I doing?!_ He growled out to himself. _Is she playing with this Sesshoumaru's mind?! Really? Who would believe her if she said that she felt such comfort by my simple presence and touch?!_

The angered DaiYoukai looked down again at the young woman. Perspiration was appearing on her forehead as she was still struggling, lost within her nightmare. Anger slowly slipped away as he was watching her. To test his theory, Sesshoumaru laid a hand on her shoulder again. And like before, right there before his stunned gaze, she immediately stilled.  
It was surreal. Already, by standing closer, her fear had decreased but a direct contact and she was instantly calming down. Even the scent of fear was slowly dissipating. The demon Lord was torn and, to put it bluntly, dumbfounded. What to do?

He observed the young Miko a moment, monitoring her breathing that was coming back to a more regular pace as he was pondering what the best line of action was.  
Sighing, Sesshoumaru finally gathered her delicately, mindful of her injuries, astonished by how light she was for her age and went back against 'his' wall. Strangely enough, any trace of fear vanished totally from her scent. She even nuzzled her face on his chest and sighed contently.  
The world was upside down, it was the only plausible explanation. It was as if his very presence was bringing to the young Miko some form of comfort and a sense of security. Worse, the usually stoic Lord of the Western Lands was allowing the little human this liberty upon his person.

His beast was ecstatic though. Even after showing her how much of a failure he was as an alpha towards her, she still found his presence at her side soothing and securing. His beast wasn't questioning the reason why she could feel this way in his presence but just embraced it happily. His strong and powerful youkai aura was bringing a sense of peace unconsciously to her miko aura. Really, she was one truly strange little onna.

In any other moment or any other situation, Sesshoumaru would have pushed away from his person anyone acting like she was, invading his space without his authorization, but strangely, he hadn't the heart either to throw her away or kill her for her affront.  
He took in her features a moment, trying to ponder how a little slip of a woman, worse, Inuyasha's wench, could provoke such unusual actions from him. Even little Rin hadn't succeeded that much.

He sighed, feeling suddenly exhausted, his youki drained body leaning more heavily on the wall.  
"You are far too trusting for your own good, Miko." He whispered quietly to no one in particular, knowing full well that the only being that could have heard him was sleeping, now, peacefully, snuggled on his lap. A strange little onna, indeed.

Really, they made a strange pair, the two of them. Fortunately, no one was there to witness it. The demon Lord was fairly certain that the enchantments of the cell could prevent even the dark hanyou's magic from being able to take a look inside without opening the door first. They were, at least, safe from praying eyes.  
Sesshoumaru sighed again, something that he had barely done before coming into the presence of the troublesome little Miko. The demon Lord closed his amber pools. He would bother to ponder on these events later, when he would be more able to sort out his thoughts.  
"You are safe for now." He murmured almost inaudibly, before falling asleep himself.

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End of the chapter 14.


	15. Chapter 15: Naraku's plan

Hi there! :D

Reviews answers:

**Chippyshero **: I really love your idea ! *grin* unfortunately, their escape and punition of Naraku won't be for a moment still, sorry. You will have to wait a little to see Naraku's ass getting kick. ^^ Thanks for the review.

**Glykera :** glad that you like ! :) Sesshomaru may have a great control of his instincts, he can't completely go against them. Plus, sesshomaru's beast is still part of him after all. I liked the idea of them having some privacy while in their cell. Thank you for your review!

**flooding-rivers :** *blush* thank you so much for your kind words. Yeah, I prefer to make things go and evolve slowly. I didn't want to make the 'beast' as a different entity in Sesshomaru and preferred make it more like his bases instincts. It's not like I don't like it when it's happened in others stories but I wanted to make it different. I tried to keep Sesshomaru as close as the 'reality' as I could and I'm really glad that you think it's rather well done like this. I'm glad that you are happy! ^^ I hope that you will like this new update too!

**Kamorea Chan** : Well I will answer your question. No, Naraku can't see inside for the same reason that Sesshomaru can't hear or smell anything coming from the outside when the door is closed. It was the price to pay for installing them in this cell, spells blocking everything. You will see that the ignorance for a time of what is happening inside the cell, between Sesshomaru and Kagome will have an important point later in the story… but I won't tell more! :D Thank you for your story.

**kouga's older woman :** Yeah, that's what I think too. He may be really cold and sometimes cruel, but still Sesshomaru isn't totally heartless. Even in the manga, you can see it. You will see another example in this new chapter. I hope that you will like it! :)

**TwilightVampy17** : Your welcome ! And glad that you like it ! :D

**JenJen Midnightgirl** : thank you for your concern and thank you for your review. You will see that the fact that Kagome feel comforted by just Sesshomaru's presence will be a really important fact for the story. Well, I hope that you will like this new chapter!

**MyTwiliLove **: Glad that you like it! :D 1= the beast, in this story, isn't a real entity but just the pure instincts of Sesshomaru. The fact that the way his instincts would like him to act is a little different than how Sesshomaru really act is just due to the stubbornness and hatred for anything weaker. In a way, his reason blocks what his heart, his instincts asked of him. Now, Sesshomaru is weakened, and the close proximity with Kagome makes it impossible for him to just turn away and ignore what could happened to her. What his beast 'feel' is what Sesshomaru feel, it's just that he is too stubborn and in a kind of denial. When his beast isn't angered with the liberties she is taking for example, it more like Sesshomaru can't understand why he can't get angered with her. I don't know if I answered your question correctly. I have a lot of difficulties to explain so if it's not clear, don't hesitate to tell me. 2= Hm, I won't tell you that she won't take it bad but what really will make them come closer to each other and the respect that Sesshomaru had for her to grow, is more due to the fact that she won't abandon and resist with all she had. Even with all the Naraku had in reserves for her, she won't break. 3= well, I can't answer…since part of the response in this chapter! ^^ 4= definitely grom! It's not that he won't want to eviscerate them but each time he could have the opportunity, he is always pinned to the wall, unable to…

I love you PS ! lol

Thank you for your review!

**Jeweled Fairy** : thank you for your concern. The nightmares are 'just' the souvenirs of what happened with Naraku. It's like each time she closes her eyes, everything was coming back, flashing in her mind. Sorry that the chapter aren't as long as you would like. I'm doing what I can, really. Thanks for your review!

**monkey-101 : **thank you so much for your review ! It will be more difficult for Sesshomaru to admit it truly than you think… but I won't tell more! ^^

**1kenshinlover **: *grin* I'm really happy that you like ! Thank you for your review and thank you for your concern.

**XxBlEeDiNg BlAcK rOsEsXx** : *blush* thank you so much for your kind words.

**Silveromance** : LOL thanks.

**pandora-of-the-south** : it's true nightmares…but that doesn't mean that Naraku won't torture her mentally too…in due time! ^^ thank you for the 'toit' problem. Each time I'm reading one of your reviews I feel automatically better! You truly rock! When I re-read the chapter I was like you, aww-ing at the cute scene! lol thank you for your review!

Thank you to : **Nicegresser, dark shadowed rose, ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, purropolisprincess, merlyn1382**, for their reviews too!

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Chapter 15:

Naraku's plan

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A few hours later, the two figures were still snuggled close to each other, sleeping peacefully. No one had entered the cell since they had brought back Kagome, preventing any inconvenience for the two sleepers.

A light movement of the smallest figure and the demon Lord's eyes snapped open. Eyes still a little foggy from sleep, Sesshoumaru took in what was around, when he finally became fully aware of the weight on his chest as said weight moved again.

Muscles immediately tensing, the DaiYoukai looked down, only to find his human miko companion of cellar wrapped around his torso, not awaken yet. His amber pools opened wider at finding the woman on his lap, still sleeping deeply and peacefully. _What the Hell is this woman doing here?!_ Thought Sesshomaru alarmed. Then he finally remembered that he was the one who had placed her there.

The young Miko had nightmares and during one of the strongest, he tried to wake her. That's when things went crazy. Impossibly, the human seemed to find his presence soothing and calming. Plus, the closer it was, the better. Even better when in direct contact with his person.

What on the Earth was wrong with the Miko?

It was improbable for anyone to find the DaiYoukai's presence, dare he say, securing. It was already uncalled for in essence but for a human woman, but a Miko at that?! Something must definitely be wrong with her. Maybe the Kamis hadn't put all the right pieces in the right places in her because it was...Hell, there wasn't even words to equal the confused and dumbfounded feeling in the demon Lord. Even his own mother was on her toes around him most of the time, due to his overwhelming youki. He could understand the way Rin was acting around him. For her, he was her savior, her hero and, in her innocence, she looked up at him as if he was a God. But the Miko was human, adult and knew full well what he was capable of, and still she found his presence soothing?! The idea wasn't any less confusing at all after having slept a few hours on it, really. Maybe, after the ordeal she had survived at the hand of the dark hanyou, sensing a strong presence at her side reassured her that she was, at least in the instant, safe. That he could understand in theory, but the 'strong presence' was him! Sesshomaru sighed. The demon Lord decided then to set the matter aside. It wasn't important for now.

He finally realized why he had woken up in the first place: the craziest human woman he had ever encountered in his long life had moved around a little, signaling her soon to be awakened state.

Not wanting to be seen in this position by anyone, even less by said person on his lap because he didn't particularly wish to have to explain why she was there, Sesshoumaru gently tried to put her down. However, in response, the sleeping woman tightened her grip around him. Still not awake, she even nuzzled her face in Sesshoumaru's chest happily. The demon Lord narrowed his eyes in distaste. She was a little too comfortable and taking way too much liberty with his person for Sesshoumaru's liking.

Then, to the horror of the usually feared by all demon Lord, Kagome mumbled, in her semi-sleeping state, something that made the poor DaiYoukai freeze in place. She said, "Hmm, smells good" and then cuddled closer to his warm body.

Sesshoumaru blinked down at the woman. He then blinked a second time, trying to analyze what had just happened and what had been said. When what she had whispered sleepily on his hard chest finally registered in his mind, the demon Lord took a horrified look. For the first time since he could remember, Sesshoumaru was rendered speechless. Well, not really. When this same girl had pulled out his late father's heirloom without even trying, which he himself couldn't do, he had been more than shocked too. But now, it wasn't exactly the same. No, it was worse.

Sesshoumaru bit down a growl that was threatening to over take him. Could he fall any lower? Really, the insult of having been captured by a low life of a hanyou, having to take care of a human's injuries with his own hands, then comforting her, even if she was unaware of it, to chase her nightmares away, wasn't it enough already?! But no, now he was reduced to serve as pillow for the hellish woman! What unnerved Sesshoumaru even more was the fact that his beast wasn't overly disturbed by her actions. In a way, it didn't like that someone as dignified as him had to be in this kind of position, but in another hand, it couldn't shake away the satisfaction of knowing that the girl had so much faith and trust in her Alpha to feel completely at ease and safe in his presence.

Sesshoumaru, trying to shake off the affront made to his person and already abused ego, pried the Miko away from him and put her down. Strands of hair went falling on her face but the demon Lord fought down the urge to push them away. He had been shocked of how soft her hair was to touch when he had distractedly let his fingers glide through them a few hours ago. Even after two days of not washing, staying on a hard and dirty floor of her cell and some blood in it from her ordeal with Naraku, the young Miko's hair seemed still cleaner than most humans he had encountered, if not all. Even his ward had to be ordered to go wash or she would never do it. The little girl avoided the water like if it was poison but like to play while fishing in it. It was beyond the DaiYoukai'd comprehension. But that was beyond the point. It seemed as if almost every human he had ever come across felt as if washing often would kill them or their skin would melt from their bodies. That's why the Miko seemed so different from her pair.

After a moment, Kagome finally began to stir.

She shivered, her source of heat having mysteriously disappeared. She was sore. The bandages that Sesshoumaru had so gently helped to put on were really efficiently made and were still in place. She sat up slowly, not wanting to open her wounds once more

.

It still hurt everywhere but at least they weren't bleeding anymore.

She then felt the weight of a gaze on her. Her head then snapped towards the owner of said piercing eyes and she found Sesshomaru looking down at her intensely. Looking around and seeing the closeness of the demon Lord, she then realized that she was closer from his 'usual spot' than when she fell asleep. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. i_How did I end up here?_ /i She blinked. _I must have rolled in my sleep and ended up at Sesshoumaru's feet._ Light pink rose on her cheeks. She was grateful that, despite her proximity, the demon Lord hadn't shown his disgust and simply thrown her away. He had let her, even if totally unaware of it, take comfort in his cold and powerful presence. That must be why she was now so close to him. That could be the explanation of why, after a series of never ending nightmares, she finally succeeded in settling down and slept a little. It was strange but a plausible reason.

Sesshoumaru watched attentively the thoughtful expression of the Miko in the corner of his eyes. She was, as predictable, puzzled on the reason she woke up at his feet. Good, it should stay like that. She then cleared her throat, avoiding eye contact.

"I-I am sorry to have invaded your personal space while I was sleeping." She said quietly, the blush still present on her cheeks.

"Hn." The demon Lord grunted in response. _So she thinks that she came to this Sesshoumaru's side by herself…Good. It saves this Sesshoumaru the headache of explaining. Still…_

Great now Sesshomaru almost felt guilty! "It's of no consequence." He added flatly after a moment, when gazing from the corner of his eyes at her embarrassed form.

He might not tell her that she had deduced wrongly but he wouldn't let her feel too much guilt when he knew she wasn't responsible. Kagome rewarded him with a small grateful smile. _Really, Sesshoumaru isn't that bad._ She thought warmly.

She then looked over herself. Her wounds were just closed up, so she had to be careful to not open them back up.

"Miko." Came the deep emotionless voice of the demon Lord. She looked up at him in question.

"Heal your wounds." He said, still not even glancing at her direction.

She looked at him for a moment, confused. _What does he mean by 'heal your wounds'?_ She cocked her head to one side and blinked up at him, puzzled.

Sesshomaru finally gazed at her directly when he noticed that she wasn't doing as he said. _Really, is she that dense or is she doing it on purpose to get on this Sesshoumaru's already thin nerves? _The DaiYoukai growled at himself. He then did something else, again, out of character, thing that he seemed to be doing a lot in the Miko's presence: he elaborated.

" Your powers are back, are they not?" He asked tightly.

She nodded uncertain of what he was trying to say but finally seeing the growing annoyance in the demon Lord.

"Then, heal your wounds." He said, turning his head to the other side, clearly dismissing her.

Kagome stayed rooted to the spot and looked at Sesshoumaru as if another head had suddenly popped out. i_W…What?!?/i_

"B-but I don't know how to use my powers like that!?!" She almost yelled out.

He looked back at her direction, an eyebrow raised, his face darker than usual, making Kagome gulped. The miko was really getting on his nerves.

"You healed this Sesshomaru's injuries earlier, have you not? Or maybe your feeble human brain had already forgotten?" He said in a condescending tone, making Kagome flush in anger.

"My brain is doing well, thank you very much. And it's not the same! I just followed your instructions to purify the poison from your injuries. It's really different from healing myself of all…that! I don't know how to heal!!" She almost shouted out, breathing erratically. She winced, her just closed-off wounds not supporting her outburst and tentative of wide movement. The sign of pain didn't escape and only fueled the anger of the demon Lord. Really, was the human trying to further endanger her damaged weak body? Eyes narrowed, Sesshoumaru spoke.

"You would do well to remember to never raise your voice in this Sesshoumaru's presence or this one will personally assure that you will never have the opportunity to yell ever again, or speak for that matter." He hissed coldly.

Kagome's mouth closed down with a 'click'. When shock recoiled, she bit down the inside of her cheek to stop herself from snapping at him.

Sesshoumaru breathed deeply, his eyes flashing a milli-second.

"You already know how to do it. It is the same as when you neutralized the poison in this Sesshomaru's wounds. You should do it before they come back and your powers elude you again." With that said, his head then turned away, dismissing her for good.

_The nerve of that…that arrogant dog! _Thought the young Miko vehemently, not knowing where all that anger was coming from. It wasn't like she didn't know how Sesshoumaru was, so why was it ticking her so much? She then breathed in deeply.

_No need to pass your anger on the DaiYoukai. It won't help you and it's certainly not healthy. Be already happy that he is acknowledging your presence so much, Kagome! Plus, what he said was only for your benefit. Yes, he said that to help me and I almost snapped at him for that… _She suddenly felt guilty when the line of thoughts passed in her mind.

She closed her eyes and, boosted with renew confidence, Kagome recalled and followed what the demon Lord had previously taught her so she could use her powers to heal and not just purify.

After a moment, when Sesshoumaru thought that she wouldn't do as instructed, finally, the young Miko body emanated a gentle purple color for a few seconds then everything went back to normal, leaving a panting Kagome. When her powers went back in her body, Kagome felt light-headed from using so much power in one sitting. She just whispered a soft "I succeed" and would have fallen face first on the hard ground from exhaustion if it hadn't been for Sesshoumaru's quick reflexes, who had caught her by the shoulder, just in time.

She quickly regained her balance and thanked the demon Lord, blushing furiously. Sesshoumaru just nodded his head in acceptance.

She sat down and, slowly, she reached for her bandages and looked herself over once she had them out of the way. For a moment, she fixed her thighs intensely. She was so silent that even Sesshomaru knew that it wasn't like herself.

"Miko." Called out.

The DaiYoukai watched Kagome jumped as his voice brought her out of her reveries. He looked down, trying to see what had fascinated her so, then looked at her when she gazed up at him with unshed tears gathering in her eyes. From the corner of his eyes, Sesshoumaru saw her hands unconsciously coming over where her wounds where before.

Kagome felt as if something in her finally had broken. Her wounds were healed, yes, but they had left behind scars. At the place of the ugly cuts were now light pink scars, just healed. She may be scarred for life because of the treatment of Naraku.

With a finger, she traced the still-raised skin sorrowfully, fighting with all her might to not let a sob escape her lips. She continued to pull off the others bands, tracing each new scar silently. Sesshoumaru watched her do, not saying a thing, until he couldn't hold his tongue much longer.

"Miko." Repeated, Sesshomaru.

When looking back up, she saw that one of his eyebrows was rising in inquiry. She blinked slowly, liberating the salty drops of water that had stayed in place until now with her eyelashes. For Sesshoumaru, she was the epitome of pitifulness at this instant.

"There are scars." She said quietly and a duller voice than usual. She had whispered softly as to answer his silent question. His eyebrow rose higher, as if it was his way of saying 'and?'.

She lowed her head. Sesshomaru didn't seem to understand but, maybe, he can't really understand. He didn't seem to grasps why she was feeling like weeping her heart out. There were scars. That meant that even if she succeeded in getting out of this Hell, she will keep the traces of Naraku's hands marring her skin for her whole life as a reminder of what had happened here.

"You are human; in consequence, you have inferior healing abilities than this Sesshomaru. The uses of powers only accelerate the normal healing process. So, it's logical for you to have scars, while this Sesshomaru don't." Said the DaiYoukai of the West, flatly.

Really, it's obvious, so how could she be so perturbated by this? Apparently, humans scarred more easily than Youkais. Well, no real surprise here.

For Kagome, it felt like his words were blades going through her. She flinched and felt her body go numb. Her scent was clouded with so much sorrow that the air was even difficult to breathe in. Sesshomaru wasn't stupid. He understood that she will have to live all her life with those reminders of the hanyou tortures. The souvenirs of what happened, and possibly will happen, will stay forever engraved in her skin. It will be hard on her but again, it's no surprise there.

He knew that now mustn't be the correct moment to ask what was burning the tip of his tongue, but his curiosity was eating his guts and he couldn't stop it.

"Miko." After a few seconds where Sesshoumaru thought that she hadn't heard him, she finally turned to look at him. Her gaze was so broken that the demon Lord almost hesitated, what he usually never does, to ask what was troubling him. Unable wait any longer, Sesshoumaru spoke.

"You said that only you, or a miko, would be the one able to give the hanyou this new power he is seeking."

Breath hitching in her throat, Kagome froze literally on the spot. Her eyes opened wide. She wasn't prepared for Sesshoumaru's questions so soon. But at the same time, how could she have expected him to take her frail nerves in consideration. It was just too much too soon. In fact, to be honest with herself, she didn't know if she would ever be ready to speak about it. However, from his closed-off usual face, she didn't seem to have the choice.

Gathering her now healed legs to herself, Kagome started to move back and forth to try to calm herself. She was fighting between crying and sleeping. The idea of sleeping hadn't ever sounded so great. The use of so much of her powers so soon after being drained was really taking its toll on her. In fact, if she had the certainty that she wouldn't have another nightmare, she would do just that, Sesshoumaru could be damned.

Kagome's eyes glazed over, becoming unfocused as if not seeing what was in front of her anymore. Her body was becoming number as minutes passed. Finally, she opened her mouth.

"Naraku wants to have access to the powers of a miko, so never would he come so close to being purified ever again as it happened in the past. He wants immunity to holy powers." She answered tonelessly.

Hesitating slightly, Sesshomaru pursued his inquiry. Really seeing her so…dull, made even the demon Lord of the West uneasy.

"How does he wish to obtain those powers?" He asked, almost gently.

Kagome finally looked at him, seemingly lost, as if trying to look for what she could do. Sesshomaru had never seen the young Miko looking so defeated, and he realized that he didn't like it one a bit. Though, he wasn't sure why it was so relevant.

Her bottom lip quavering, she answered slowly.

"He-he wants a child. He thinks that if he could absorb a child born between a youkai and a miko, he will have the power he seeks. He can't gain the power of a miko only by absorbing one directly, so he thinks that it is the solution of his problem. To have a better probability of success, the child will be his." A silent tear escaped her eyelid.

"The problem is that he doesn't know any miko that will volunteer for his 'experiment', none alive, that is. However, nothing of youkai blood can rape a miko. It's a divine protection of some kind protecting the mikos' bodies against any 'youki tainting'. It's a rule that even he can't go against."

With that said, she buried her face in her knees, bringing her legs closer to her chest.

Never would Sesshomaru have ever imagined feeling slightly disgusted with himself, but he was just now. He felt like he had just kicked an injured puppy, really, or pushed her over a cliff she had been trying so desperately to escape. At the same time, he couldn't find in him the will to hate her for bringing feelings in him. She was already down and it wasn't really her fault. It wasn't as if she wanted to make him feel those troublesome emotions.

No, the only responsible was the dark Hanyou. Blinding rage surged through the DaiYoukai, his eyes flashing red at the thought of Naraku. The Miko was so lost in her dark thoughts that she didn't even feel the shift in the subdued aura of the demon Lord. He tried to calm down and analyze what the young Miko had reported to him.

"So he decides to torture you in hope to make you bend to his will. But, at the same time, he knew enough of your character to know that it will never happen if you can prevent it. So, he intends to try to break your spirit by any means, without damaging your body too much, since he needs it. If you have no will, your mind broken, nothing, he hopes that your powers won't react at his future assault." Resumed Sesshomaru.

Kagome nodded weakly, still no rising her head from her knees.

"Hn."

Going through everything, Sesshoumaru analyzed the situation. There was a little chance for this plan to work. It may be enough to go around this divine protection, but, at the same time, maybe not. Divine laws are often difficult to understand in their globality. It was a risky move but there seemed to be no other solution if Naraku really wanted those powers.

What was sure was that the dark hanyou was, if anything, patient. It could take days, or weeks, if not more, and there was no guarantee of success at the end. At the same time, this blind thirst for powers may be one day his downfall. On the contrary of some others, this particular Miko would be difficult to break completely. Well, if you looked at her right now you wouldn't say that, but Sesshoumaru was certain that it was just the immediate after-shock effect of what happened. Any other would have been in an even worst state if someone had captured her, then tortured her in order to make her give herself to his cruel desires so he could absorb any child produced and then kill her. It even made the demon Lord's head spin just to think about it. But the Miko had stayed strong. _Well, until this Sesshoumaru asked for details. _Thought the Lord of the West uneasily. Damn those emotions. It was the fault of the hanyou too. If he hadn't reduced his youki so much, he would be in better shape to contain and control his emotions. Again, Sesshoumaru swore that the dark hanyou would pay.

However, even if he didn't like to say it, his half-brother's miko may be the most powerful Miko around. She was the Shikon Miko, after all. To steal holy powers, better choose the most powerful when you are at it. It must have been what Naraku had thought. Plus, the dark hanyou seemed twistedly fond of the little miko. But, Sesshoumaru knew that she would resist. She would choose death before giving in, he was sure of it. That's how and why she had gained his respect in the past, after all.

But one thing was troubling the demon Lord of the Western Lands. Something didn't fit in this scheme planned by Naraku : Him.

"What is the purpose of this Sesshoumaru's presence?" He finally asked after a moment, not finding any logic in the why he had been captured too.

"Naraku had taken in consideration that it will take time to 'persuade' me to participate in his plan. The cave in which our cell had been dug in is almost impossible to find. Only the more powerful youkai have a chance to detect the natural barrier hiding this cave. Since you have, in more than one occasion, already interfered in his plan in the past, Naraku hadn't want to take any risk this time around. He wanted to make sure that you won't interfere, so he used any means he possessed to capture you, knowing that it would be really difficult if not quasi-impossible for you to get out once imprisoned inside with all those spells. Or, at least, it will give him the time he needs to do what he has to be done. With you inside, there is no one powerful enough to find this cave's location." Said Kagome dully, not knowing how much her words had angered the demon Lord.

Shaking in the struggle to contain his rage, Sesshoumaru, his voice darker than usual, his beast close to the surface, spoke.

"Rest, Miko." _You are safe for now._ He let unsaid. Waiting for her to fight his order, he was surprised and disturbed when she just nodded and slipped on the ground, closing her eyes immediately. When he was sure that she was asleep, Sesshoumaru moved closer, not resisting the urge to be close to her and lend some comfort. She needed it.

Now alone, Sesshoumaru went back through everything that had been said. The DaiYoukai was mad, to say the least. Sesshoumaru may be cold but the thought of Naraku producing an offspring, a real pup and not an incarnation, only to kill it at birth, was just... totally wrong. The demon Lord was ready to lose his other arm before doing something like that to a pup, even worse if his own.

More, his beast was seeing red at the very idea of Naraku laying even a finger on her. Eyes flashing between golden and red, _This Sesshomaru won't let this to happen,_ he thought vehemently.

They had to find a way and get out of here before the dark hanyou succeeded in breaking the young miko mind or everything would be lost...

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End of the chapter 15

Well, I'm off now.

Much love,

Sweetest angel


	16. Chapter 16: It's My Soul !

Hi there! :)

Well, I won't waste too much of your time, so here are the answers to the reviews for the chapter 15.

**Reviews reply****(fanfic):**

**SkyBear : **firstly, thank you for your review. Don't worry, I don't have any intention to 'cut out' the villain just now… ;) I hope that you will like this new chapter.

**dark shadowed rose:** Hm… it's something that you will have to wait for and read, I'm afraid that I can't tell you if no one else can find it and who was that mysterious person. But there isn't a lot of cold and unfeeling eyes running around that just find it delightful to see Kagome sufer…*hint, hint* thank you for the review.

**JenJen Midnightgirl:** really glad that you like it! :) And I'm glad that you like the reactions of Sesshomaru. I just wanted to show that Sesshomaru isn't a monster without a heart, he just chooses to not let his emotions, as little they might be, slip out. I really hope that you will as much enjoy this new chapter than the 15!

**flooding-rivers : **well, here is your update ! :D Your words really warmed my heart so thank you for your review!

**ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS :** *ssshhh* don't say that too loud. *look to the right, then to the left* If Sesshomaru hear you saying that he cares then he will become really angry and deny it with all he is worth! Lol He isn't ready to admit it and won't for a long time… Glad that you liked!

**Silveromance:** WOW, thank you. I hope that you will like this new update!

**merlyn1382 :** exactly my thought. When Sesshomaru will get out, Naraku had better run for his life… even if it is a puppet ! I think even if it isn't his real body, he will feel it! *grin*

**GeorgieGirl999 :** I'm so sorry that I forgot about you last time. Please, forgive me? *gave the best puppy eyes* Here, a cookie for my forgiveness. Hope you will like the chapter 16!

**Chippyshero :** LOL it will have to wait a little. *grin*

**1kenshinlover :** well, hopefully he won't remark his mistake too soon ! When he installed Sesshomaru in the same cell than Kagome, I don't think he realized that they would work together and support each other. Naraku had put too much credit on the pride of the demon Lord and not enough on his instinct of survival. His mistake! Well, sshh, I didn't tell you anything! :D

**PurpleLuna:** I'm really glad that you like it and thank you for your kind words.

**Jeweled Fairy :** well , you will see the others in this chapter ! :) And if you find Naraku really sick and the ugly youkais …well ugly then that means I succeed! Lol For the scars, the subject will be brought back in a later chapter… I really hope that you will like this new chapter and thank you for your always so faithful support.

**kouga's older woman :** LOL

**pandora-of-the-south:** it would have been a great idea but Kagome is never 'free of her movement' when she steps out of the cell…or rather she is carried out. But I will tell you that, she will be the one finding the way out… But I can't tell you more! There is still a long road before Sesshomaru admit that he cares for her beyond the fact that she is pack so even more longer for him to admit any feelings… for now it's just respect, which is already big for Sesshomaru. Hope you will like this new update! :D

**Kitsune Diva** : well I hope you will like this new chapter ! thank you for your review and kind words!

**MyTwiliLove :** for your first question, the servants are effectively youkai, reptilian type to be more precise. As for why they work for Naraku, it will be explain by one of them in the chapter 17… For your question two, I don't really know but I think that I will have use of them and they will be there in some later chapters. For the question 3, no it won't be in flashback but 'in-process' as you put it. For question four…well I don't know! -_-' lol Response for the PS: I went to read them and really like it! I think I even review… Love your PS! ;) Don't worry about the length for your review and the answer. You ask question, I answer as well as I can at the moment! It's always a pleasure to receive your message. I'm waiting for your new set of questions after this new chapter! :D Thank you for your review.

Thank you to **my name is paper YAH, TwilightVampy17, SoMeWhErE iN tHe MiDdLe, asherah4u**, for their review too. I really hope that I didn't forget anyone this time!

**Reviews (Dokuga)**

**LC Rose**** : ***blush* I'm really flattered that you think so highly of my story! I'm glad that you liked 'my' Sesshomaru. Hope that you will like this new chapter too.

**MontiK**** : **I'm really glad that you like it. Yeah, how much it pained me to see them in pain, I didn't want to make them get out too easily or just jump on each other after only been one hour alone! I hope that you will like this new update.

**lunaticneko**** : **don't worry, the idea of how to get out will arrive soon! It just won't be easy… Glad that you like the story!

**sunset in love : **for your question about Kikyo and the enchantment, the answer is in this new chapter…as for the other, well yes. Hints had been sent at several moment… like when he had said that they had seal the pact between them repeatedly again and again until exhaustion or when he said that her body doesn't feel like one of flesh… Gah! It disgusted me just to write it! Like I said (Kagome's thoughts) I don't know what is the more disgusting, her sleep with a monster like Naraku or him sleeping with a corpse… Thank you for your review and I hope that you will like this chapter too.

**Reviews (Adultfanfic.):**

**Kitty:**I will keep that in mind. Thank you for your review.

**Alpine:** thank you so much for your review and kind words. Hope you will like this chapter too.

**Lanier:** well the solution will come soon! But I can't tell you more, sorry. Thank you for your review.

Mediaeval_Gurl : I'm really glad that you like my story. It's really warmed my heart to read your comment. Oh and I did went to see your story! Hope you will like this new update!

**Camille**: *blush* I'm really glad that you like the story so much! Yeah, as I said, I preferred to go slowly and not have the two of them just jumped on each other after a couple of hours alone! It isn't in the personality of any of them and I wanted to keep it that way. Really glad that you like! Hope that you will appreciate too the new chapter! :)

RavensTears00 : thank you so much for your kind words and support. It's really appreciated!

**rinchan448** : Thank you for your review and thank you for your support !

OK, well I hope I didn't forget anyone! :D

Thank you again to 'FRIZZ' for the extraordinary work as a Beta even with all the mistakes I make all the time.

I posted a new story a few days ago: Hospitality. It's a long one-shot. I hope to have an edited version soon. Tell me what you think, ok? (for the ones who did see it and are interested!)

Well, that's all! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

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_**Chapter 16 :**_

_**It's My Soul**_

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Kagome had fallen into a light slumber with Sesshomaru at her side keeping her nightmares away. The demon Lord had stopped asking himself questions. It was working and it was the only thing important at the moment. If the Miko didn't get her energy back she would be of no use to him and if he had to sit down close to her, unknowingly to her of course, to assure her rest then so be it. It wasn't much to ask him and it was really little to give her after what she had been subjected to by Naraku.

He had seen some cracks in her mental armor earlier when she had to speak about what the hanyou was planning and the problem of her scars. Oh, he had no doubt that she would keep strong and wouldn't break easily, but it was really difficult on her. He had to admit that his respect for her had grown in the fact that she hadn't been reduced to a whimpering and begging mass after her torture. Yes, she was really deserving for her place in his pack.

A moment later, she started to whimper in her sleep, but Sesshomaru only had to reach for her and lay a hand on her head to make it stop. He couldn't stop marveling each time it happened.

……………..

An hour or so later, Sesshomaru found himself pinned back on the wall. It was really getting old.

The door of the cell then opened slowly, reveling one of the ugly servants of Naraku with a tray of food in hands. He was one that the DaiYoukai hadn't seen before so he noted for later possible use that there were at least four. This time, Sesshomaru stayed silent, and observed. This one seemed a little different than the others and younger. He seemed to be unable to look at the beaten up woman.

Without even a glance towards the demon Lord or the slumbering human Miko, the youkai put down the tray of food and took the one of the meager medical supplies. He walked out but soon came back, just to let a big basin by the door before walking out and not coming back, still not looking at any of the occupants of the cell.

Maybe two or three seconds after the 'click' of the door, Sesshomaru was released.

………………

_With Inuyasha's gang…_

………………

The camp was dead silent. In fact, if the fire wasn't going, you wouldn't even know that they were there. The companions had been running around all day, without a break, trying desperately to find their dear missing member. In fact, if the night hadn't fallen and exhaustion not taking its hold on the humans members of the little pack, they would have readily continued their search.

The atmosphere was really gloomy around the camp fire, if not dead. They still haven't found any lead. They had yet to discover who had captured their companion, why they had taken her, and more importantly, where they had taken her. She had been gone for four days already and they were still totally in the dark.

Inuyasha was sitting against a tree trunk, his Tessaiga between his legs, laying on his chest. He was brooding because they had to stop for the night. Truth be told, the hanyou was tired too but the guilt of not having been here for Kagome one more time was eating him. He had to find her soon and make sure that she was alright or he would never be able to live with himself.

Shippo whimpered again. The poor kit was inconsolable since he had learnt about the disappearance of the young Miko. Miroku reached towards the young fox's head and let his hand lingered a moment on his head, hoping to offer some comfort. The Monk wasn't in much better shape, really. Worry was eating him to the core. In fact, they were all worried.

Sango throw a rock towards the bushes at the other side of their camp. "If only we had some lead!" She exclaimed, exasperate. She was so worried of what could have happened to her best and only girl friend that her heart ached.

"Feh! We could have found one if we didn't have to stop every few minutes because you need rest!"

Sango's hands closed in fists and Miroku interrupted in just in time before she could jump on the unsuspected hanyou.

"InuYasha, we have to stay calm. Getting angry and fighting among the group won't help us to find her quicker. We are all worried about Kagome-sama's kidnapping but we have to take a break at least for the night. We are humans and it's normal that we need some rest after running about all day. Don't lie, InuYasha, you too need a break. Your stubbornness won't help us to find her quickly but you will just fall in illness if you push yourself too much. And don't try to serve us with your usual 'I'm stronger than you pathetic humans' crap. We are not blind my friend, we can clearly see that you are exhausted too. Maybe not as much as us because of your hanyou blood but still tired. Look at Kirara. She is so tired that even Sango's screams isn't waking her up. Plus, even if we had a lead, we couldn't really well continue in the dark, even if we weren't tired either."

"Keh! I can see just fine!" Said stubbornly the hanyou.

"You still could miss something that you wouldn't in daylight. Then what will it bring you? Hm? And us, we can't see!" Sango retorted, breathing deeply. Her nerves were really fragile, in her uncontrollable worry for the young Miko.

Silence fell on the camp. After a moment, Shippo had finally calmed down and was now snuggled up to Kirara's side for support.

"Where could she be now?" Asked softly Sango to no one in particular, worry lacerating through her voice. The strong exterminator was just a woman under her tunic after all and her sensibility was coming forth at the idea of what could have happened to her friend.

"I don't know." Answered Miroku after a long sigh. "But I have a really bad feeling."

"Me too." Said Sango fixing her eyes on the dancing flames.

"Still, something doesn't seem right." Added Miroku after a moment.

One ear picked up but InuYasha didn't say anything. "What do you mean, Miroku-sama?" Asked Sango.

"It's just that something doesn't fit. It's just strange." He said, pensively.

Not able to contain it anymore, the hanyou exploded. "Speak clearly, Bozo, it's not the moment to play mind-games!"

"Well, since you ask so nicely, Inuyasha, I just feel like the kidnapping and everything surrounding it is strange and too much for just been a coincidence."

"What do you mean, Houshi-sama?" Sango perked, immediately interested.

Now that he had the attention of Sango and Inuyasha, he revealed his thoughts.

"From the traces on the soil, it was really configured as an ambush. It really felt like they were waiting for her to arrive, as if they knew that she was due to arrive around that time and would come from this way. They must have waited for her in the woods and attacked her just when she was walking towards the village after climbing out of the well.

Then, there is the attack in the neighboring village which happened just before the return of Kagome-sama."

Understanding flashed on Sango's face. "If that villager hadn't insisted so much, we wouldn't have left before Kagome's return and finding Inuyasha."

Miroku nodded. "Exactly. That's what I find suspicious. The villager made it sound as if it was terrible attacks resulting with lots of damages but when we arrived, we just found some lowly youkai easily disposed of. Then the villager disappeared. It took us three days just to go and come back while we didn't stay more than half-day in the village. It really looked like someone wanted us away before the return of Kagome."

They looked at each other as if only realizing now the implication of what they just pinpointed. Someone had been plotting and sent all of them away so no one would possibly come to the rescue of the young Miko.

"Where were you, InuYasha?" Asked out of the blue the monk.

InuYasha froze, his throat constricting in his sudden nervousness.

"I-I don't see what it have to do with anything!" He said, crossing his arms on his chest in false air of confidence.

"It could be important, my friend. You don't need to be on the defensive, InuYasha…well if you have nothing on your conscience, that's it." Told him Miroku, his eyes hardening.

InuYasha gulped. Guilt built up anew in him. He should have been there. The slayer saw his immediate change of attitude and instantly saw red.

"Where…Were…You…Inuyasha?" She asked through clenched teeth.

Everyone around the fire turned towards the hanyou with different degrees of glare. Inuyasha felt corned and his ears flatted on his head.

"Yeah, where were you, Inuyasha? We tried to find you and looked everywhere without any success." Added Shippo, now awake.

Miroku's eyes became considerably cold. The monk was rarely like that and it was giving the creeps to InuYasha.

……………………..

_Back__ with Sesshomaru and Kagome…_

…………………….

Sesshomaru walked back towards the still half-sleeping woman and nudged her with the tip of his shoe-covered foot.

When her eyes opened and was on the standing DaiYoukai, he spoke.

"Eat."

And with that said, he returned to sitting down against his wall. Kagome watched the demon Lord in the corner of her eyes and the food. Sighed, she rose and took the tray with her. She went to kneel down, facing Sesshoumaru, ready to share. At the view of food, her stomach made itself know, signaling to its owner for how long and how much it was empty.

The DaiYoukai reminded her that the food was served only for her but the young Miko was stubborn and insisted to share it with her companion of misfortune. This time, they had given her a little more food but it would never be enough for one meal for Sesshoumaru, even if he was to consume it by himself. However, even if he wouldn't admit it, the proud demon Lord was somewhat touch by her actions again. Even in the adversity, her selflessness never failed to surprise him. _Foolish woman_, he scoffed half-heartedly.

After making sure that Sesshoumaru took something to eat on the tray, Kagome let her thoughts get away. The young Miko then thought back at how much InuYasha and Shippo eat in one sitting. She understood that half of the food will never be enough to sate the demon Lord's appetite, but it still was better than nothing. She pushed three quarter of the meat towards the DaiYoukai. Before he could protest, she informed him that he will need to recover some strength too if they wanted to have a chance to get out of this nightmare before starving to death. Apparently, no one had informed the ugly servants of Naraku that a human need to eat several meals per day to stay healthy. Though, the dark hanyou should know since he HAD been human in the beginning.

Admitting her logic, Sesshoumaru accepted the food given to him gratefully. He would not tell her, but he needed at least ten times this quantity to ever hope to curb his hunger at the moment. In a way, that was why he didn't fight much against her idea of dividing. He was starving. He had been ready to hunt when they had attacked and those several days with almost nothing in the stomach was taking its tool on him. However, he was confident. The demon Lord knew that he was one of if not the most powerful DaiYoukai alive so a few days without eating wouldn't kill him. The one more in danger there was the young Miko. Humans are weak and can't stay long without eating or drinking.

Kagome looked around, the silence was unnerving for the poor young woman. That's when she noticed the basin by the door.

"Hm? That basin wasn't there before. Why did they leave it here?" She asked to herself, not really expecting an answer from the demon Lord.

"Body wastes." He said curtly.

"What?!" Squealed Kagome, paling considerably. "How do you know that?!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "The basin isn't at its first utilization." He said calmly, as if he was speaking of the weather.

Kagome became even paler. She was horrified. She hadn't realized until now that she would have to release herself again in front of Sesshoumaru, the Lord of the Western Lands of all people, Inuyasha's older brother. And surely at one time she will have to do more than pee… Oh Kami, someone had to kill her now or they have to get out immediately. This humiliation would surely kill her. Then she thought about something. _Does Sesshoumaru need to go to the bathroom too? Baka Kagome! Of course he needs it too! He is a living being like any other. Though, it is difficult to imagine the mighty Lord of the West peeing! *giggle* that's gross! It is impossible to imagine Sesshoumaru doing something anything so…simple._ She was sure that even when peeing, the DaiYoukai must be doing it with class! _What the hell am I thinking?!_ She thought, shaking her head to try to erase the disturbing images.

She finished her meal silently while fixing her gaze on the wall behind the demon Lord's head to avoid to look at him, her cheeks flushing in her embarrassment for her 'adventurous' thoughts.

She suddenly stood and walked towards the wall where the slabs inter-reacting with the collars of Sesshoumaru were fixed. Something had been bugging her about those slabs since day one and since she needed something to occupy her mind... Her movements drew the attention of the demon Lord who watched her attentively, trying to understand what she was doing.

Kagome stayed fixated the wall for a moment as Sesshoumaru just observed, curious at what was on her mind. The young miko then stiffed and her body started to tremble with her rage.

_How could she?! _Thought Kagome. She let out a sound really much sounding like a growl, gaining a curious glance from the demon lord, but she ignored him.

_How could she? How could she? HOW COULD SHE ?!!_ She thought, not realizing that she said it out loud.

Not liking to be ignored, Sesshoumaru called out for her. "Miko." A little annoyed.

Finally, she looked at him. Her body was shaking in her rage and she blinked back to prevent tears from gathering in her eyes. She felt betrayed in a way she had never felt before. With serious difficulty, she kept her cool and did not explode in the face of the poor, unsuspecting and 'innocent' DaiYoukai. It wasn't simple but she managed. However, it was impossible to stop her voice from dripping with venom.

"Remember when I told you about my previous incarnation?"

Sesshoumaru nodded once, almost imperceptibly, surprised by the tone of her voice. "The undead Miko."

"Hai. Well, I knew that she had not chosen her side and has worked for Naraku in more than one occasion and was doing it again, from what I gathered from the vile beast." She was so angry that she had difficulty speaking.

One eyebrow rose slightly, waiting for her to elaborate. _What is she trying to imply?_

She breathed deeply. "Well, the powers enchanting the holy part of your bindings spells had been enhanced by her. I wasn't sure at first, maybe I was trying to convince myself that she wouldn't bend so low, but now it is clear and I can't deny it anymore. Those stones are calling for me, my powers. Even if she may not have done it by herself, most of the powers contained in the stones are hers."

He gazed at her, his eyebrow climbing higher as if to say 'and?'

"You don't understand!! She has done more than just helping the enemy; she has betrayed the very reason of her past existence! I mean, she must be the one who informed Naraku about the Divine Protection. From what he said, it's information that no one is privy of beside Mikos. It's information that is only transmitted from Miko to Miko during their training. It's one of the most guarded secret! So only a miko could have told him about this rule. Even dark mikos would never let this information slip. It's the worst betrayal she could have ever committed! She has tried to kill me, she tried to drag InuYasha in Hell with her, but that… that's beyond betrayal.

Sesshoumaru, Naraku has tried in many ways to find a way around that law and get around his inability to absorb holy powers. I don't even want to think of how many mikos he has tried to defile or torture. Kikyo's hands are as much stained with those deaths as his. Mikos, as she was and as her sister is, have been raped and mutilated because of her!" She concluded, breathing deeply as tears finally escaped her eyes, running down to her chin.

"Why are you so worked up? You are not the responsible."

"You really don't understand, Sesshoumaru!!!! It's my soul! She is living on my soul. It's because of part of me that she is able to walk the Earth and do all those horrible things! It's because of my soul that she has the possibility to participate in this slaughter! I…I…"

She was hysterical now, screaming and having even difficulties to breathe, hyperventilating, as she was so worked up. In a blink of the eye, Sesshoumaru was standing in front of her, his hand catching her chin in an almost painful hold. She stilled at the sudden movement, startled. The demon Lord forced her to look up at him.

"You will calm down." He simply said, emphasizing on each word.

"B-but…" She was sobbing now.

"Stop beating yourself for something you have no responsibility for."

"But…it's my soul…"

"And? Miko, you have no responsibility for what the undead one is doing with her restored mobility and unnatural life on this plane. Even if she is carrying part of your soul." He interrupted her when she was about to protest.

The great demon Lord of the Western Lands sighed as he released her chin. He had to make her understand or she would beat herself foolishly for something the undead miko had done. Humans and their weak minds.

"If the previous incarnation of the undead miko had killed someone, would you bear responsibility too? It was your soul, after all."

"No, but…" She started softly.

"Miko, stop this nonsense."

Kagome looked up at him, her bottom lip quavering in her attempt to not cry in front of him, but failing miserably. She then did something unthinkable: she threw herself at him, her arms slipping around his waist. It didn't last more than two seconds but it was already enough to shock the demon Lord and herself. When she realized what she was doing and felt the stiff body of Sesshoumaru she jumped backwards, apologizing profusely.

Sesshoumaru, still not able to totally process what just happened, he turned around with the intention of ignoring her for the time being. She was really taking too much liberty with his body and it was started to become bothersome.

The young miko didn't know what to do with herself, as her cheeks flamed in a deep red. She was mortified at what she had done and was amazed to still be alive. She was sweating just at the thought of what Sesshoumaru would usually have done to her in normal circumstances. Her head would surely not be on her shoulders anymore. Maybe he felt pity for her and didn't kill her for it. She brushed her tears away trying to find something to fill in the uneasy silence. Too much silence was really creeping her out, even worst when she came so close to death.

After a long silence, finally something came to her mind and her eyes lit up.

"I think I have an idea to get us out of here."

Sesshomaru's attention snapped towards her. But before she could speak, the demon Lord flied the short distance separating him and the wall and was pinned there.

"Sesshoumaru!" she screamed as she was started to go to him when the door was throw opened.

Two of the ugly servants of Naraku walked in and grab the kicking and screaming young miko.

"You are coming with us, little human. Hope you didn't miss us too much." Whispered one of them in her ear, but loud enough for Sesshoumaru to hear it.

Kagome called out for Sesshoumaru. She didn't want to go back there. Her wounds had just closed off and she wasn't ready to face the dark hanyou so soon. Her screams of despair only fueled the glee of the ugly yellowish demons.

A third one walked in. He seemed to be the dominant.

"Don't worry for the demon Lord, Miko, I will take good care of him in your absence." He said, smiling evilly at her.

She looked at him in horror and turned her terrified gaze to Sesshoumaru, pleading to all the Kamis to stop this nightmare. The DaiYoukai pulled violently but the binding spells didn't budge. He growled furiously and snarled but they were both either ignored or laughed at. The last thing Kagome saw before been dragged out was the youkai who had stayed behind sending his fist in the demon Lord's stomach…

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End of the chapter 15

Well, I hope that you liked! :D

Thank you for reading!

Much love,

Sweetest angel


	17. Chapter 17

Hi!

I know that lots of you must have thought, _"what the Hell is she doing?! Where the Hell is the new update!?!"_ Well, *smile sheepishly* I was occupied with two one-shot and sequels and well…*blush* anyways, I hope that this new chapter will please you all.

The last one-shot is called "Betrayal". It is a AU, songfic., for the ones who are curious and who hadn't see it already. ;P

Author's answer corner:

**kouga's older woman and merlyn1382 :** your answer is in this chapter ! ^^ No, they aren't getting out just now but soon…

**dark shadowed rose: **yeah, poor poor Sesshy… and it isn't better in this chapter…it is worst. But you will have to read to see! Thanks for your review.

**JenJen Midnightgirl** : Yeah, *grin* a little step in the good direction for Sesshomaru and Kagome. It's small but still there! Hope you will like this new chapter. thank you for your review.

**1kenshinlover : **Yes, when Sesshomaru will get his hand on them they would wish to have already been dead, I assure you. I won't tell if one of the captors will have a role in the escape… you will have to wait to see! ^^ As for your opinion on Kikyo, I'm afraid that it will be even lower when you will see the chapter 18… but it's not for right now. :D

**flooding-rivers** : I'm sad that you didn't like so much the last chapter so I hope you will like better this one ! . thanks for your review and support.

**ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS** : LOL Well, prepare your tissues because with this chapter, you may need it! ^^ thank you for your review!

**XxBlEeDiNg BlAcK rOsEsXx: ***blush* thank you. In the next chapter, you will hate Kikyo even more, I promise you. ;P as for this new chapter, hope you will 'appreciate' the new torture session. Thanks for your review! :)

**Sugar0o:** Thank you! *grin* If r0o is happy then so am I! :D Glad that you like and hope that you will like this new chapter as well.

**Obabicakez**: thank you so much for your kind words! *blush* thanks again.

**Gems Precious:** thank you so much for your review and support! :D

**pandora-of-the-south: **well, I hope you won't be too disappointed because there isn't any 'ass kicking' of the ugly captors, Naraku or Kikyo for the moment and nor in this chapter… but you will see everyone in the next chapter, I promise! ^^ thanks for your ever so faithful support!

**Chippyshero**: I'm glad that you like it. Yeah, everyone will pay when Sesshomaru will be free, however, it's not for right now. As for Kikyo, well, it's her anger and feelings of betrayal that made it possible for her to walk again and I'm afraid that she will do worst in the future chapters to make everyone hate her but that…you will have to wait to see! :D I hope you will like this chapter too! Thanks for your review.

**MyTwiliLove: **Glad that you liked this chapter! Well, up to your questions. 1: the ability of soothing Kagome that Sesshomaru seemed to have and absolutely refuse that people know about, even the girl concerned, will be, as you had guess, an important point but it will really take its important role in the second part of the story and not exactly in that one. You will have to wait to see! :D 2: it's a difficult question to answer. InuYasha seems to have some kind of attraction to Kagome, even if he doesn't want it but at the same time, his feelings for Kikyo are still there. You have to keep in mind that for him the 50 and some years that passed since his pinning on the tree doesn't exist. His feelings for Kikyo can't disappear like that. It could explain too why InuYasha tried to keep Kagome away, because of her connections to his past love. Then, at these confusing feelings, you had to add the feeling of guilt due to her death. I think that even in the manga/anime, Inu and Kagome got really closer only after Kikyo was dead again. In this story, I decided that Kikyo is still here and really present around InuYasha, making Kagome's life a living Hell. (you will see more of it later) I don't know if I really answer your question… 3: Good question and…I have no idea! Lol I will have to decide later. As for InuYasha been tired well, even if he is hanyou, even if he had been Youkai, it's normal that he felt a little tired after having running all day without break. It wasn't like he was almost crawling because he was too tired neither! ^^ 4: Hmm, well I don't know again! Lol I saw the anime in VO with fansub and in it, if I remember clearly, it was Kagome-sama, etc… When the French version was diffused, I wasn't able to look at it and honestly, I didn't like it. In fact, for most of the animes, I prefer the VO with sub than the French or English version. -_-' Anyways, I don't know how to answer. 5: I must have been an accident. . As for Sesshomaru been more expressive, it is because that, been in constant youki drained state, it makes him unable to control his instinctual and 'emotional' reactions as well as he would in any normal circumstances. Then, since no one is really there to notice and observe his every act, he can act more naturally than usually. But don't worry, as soon as Sesshomaru is out, his comportment will rapidly go back to his usual cold and bastardly way. Lol Yeah, they are slowly, getting closer…

**Hatake-Kakashiz-Hime:** Thank you so much for your review and your kind words. It was a good idea but… you will see what idea Kagome came up with in this new chapter! ^^ Little by little, there will be more Sess/kag interaction…

**mischievous female:** *blush* thank you.

**Lisa:** thank you so much with your kind words. Yeah, I prefer to keep him from becoming all soft. *shiver* It just so unSesshomaru'like! . As for something developing between them, well it will take even more time than anyone think! Lol I don't say that a little thing here or little thing there won't happen, but it won't be sudden, that's for sure… Thank you for ready.

**SakuraEmma29**: thank you for your review. Yeah, I was sad too when I wrote the part where Kagome was blaming herself for Kikyo actions…and I already can tell you that you will like Kikyo even less when you will see the chap18, but it is for another time! ^^ as for InuYasha's ass kicking, well it will have to wait a little more… and it won't be Sango InuYasha should be afraid of… I hope that you will like this chapter too.

**Inulovely383 **: first thing first, thank you for your update! I'm really glad that you like the story. As for their escape, it will come…but not right now. Other things will happen before that moment. About the reaction of Kagome to InuYasha's betrayal, well some time will pass before it happened but you will see it, in the other part of the story, after they made their escape…and it won't be pretty. As for the child, well Naraku hope to be able to destroy entirely Kagome's mind in the hope that then he will be able to have his child. For your idea with Sesshomaru's child, well, as I think I said before, Naraku would prefer that the child had his blood because he would have a stronger link with the hanyou child to be able to absorb him and have less chance of been rejected…but you will see way later that if he had the opportunity to find and absorb a child born from holy and youki blood then he won't hesitate to try…

Thanks to **my name is paper YAH, yuki kitsune ruler of the worl, Asherah4u, Taeniaea, MysticSea88, loonaboo, JadeDreamWolf, Fire Tenshi,** for their review. Thanks to **Lunaticneko, Faith_coventry, stars**, **Sesshy's Sweetheart, rinchan448, kitty, ****chhrisstinaa, Alpine, Mitsuki, puppydog, ****RavensTears00 ****, ****Mediaeval_Gurl,** for their review too.

Wow, It was a long author's note! Lol

Well, up to the story now. *grin*

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha…*sigh*

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………

_Previously, in the chapter 16…_

………

_Kagome called out for Sesshomaru. She didn't want to go back there. Her wounds had just closed off and she wasn't ready to face the dark hanyou so soon. Her screams of despair only fueled the glee of the ugly yellowish demons. _

_A third one walked in. He seemed to be the dominant._

"_Don't worry for the demon Lord, Miko, I will take good care of him in your absence." He said, smiling evilly at her._

_She looked at him in horror and turned her terrified gaze to Sesshomaru, pleading to all the Kamis to stop this nightmare. The DaiYoukai pulled violently but the binding spells didn't budge. He growled furiously and snarled but they were both either ignored or laughed at. The last thing Kagome saw before been dragged out was the youkai who had stayed behind sending his fist in the demon Lord's stomach…_

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Chapter 17:

_**Pained Undertakings**_

……………………

The ugly youkai watched with a light of amusement in his eyes and an evident smug expression on his face as two of his acolytes were taking away the fearful, shaking young Miko. The demon Lord was glaring at him, he could tell, as the girl continued to call out for the DaiYoukai in despair. It was just so great.

The yellowish youkai then had an idea to make it even better. He turned to the still glaring Sesshomaru and sent his fist firmly in his stomach. He closely observed the reaction of the young Miko and he frankly wasn't disappointed. Her expression of terror was so beautiful that there were shivers of excitement which were running down his spin. He had to stop himself from giggling girlishly. Oh, what he wouldn't give to see her face while she was in the hands of his Lord to be 'persuaded' to cooperate. It must surely be a priceless sight! Too bad that he had the immense honor to be the one in charge of the 'entertainment' of their other guest. Too bad, really.

This time, even after the door was closed, Sesshomaru wasn't released from 'his wall'. Personally, the leader of the ugly youkai would have loved to leave it open so the DaiYoukai wouldn't have miss anything of what his Lord had in mind for the girl. Yes, it would have been great to associate odors, her blood scent, to her screams. Oh yes, it would have been remarkable and pleasurable to see the reactions of Sesshomaru. However, it wasn't possible, order of his Lord. Apparently, some of the things that would be said were for the girl ears only…or at least, that was what he believed were his Lord's reasons. Such a pity. Well, it just gave him more liberties without any witnesses. Finally, the ugly yellowish youkai turned to Sesshoumaru.

Curiously, the demon Lord wasn't moving or even growling anymore and his eyes were closed. But the leader knew that it was only an appearance of tranquility. As soon as he stepped towards the prone form of the chained DaiYoukai, his eyes slide open, revealing a blood red gaze.

Oh yes, he was pissed and the leader had to restrain himself from giggling again. It was just too good.

"Well, we are now alone, _My Lord,_ just you and me."

Sesshomaru's eyes only narrowed in answer. The ugly youkai smiled cruelly at his reaction. That's when they heard the piercing scream of Kagome. They were hurting her again.

The servant just chortled. "Well, they seem to be having fun over there. Too bad that we haven't been invited to watch, ne?"

Sesshomaru knew what the ugly thing was trying to do but he wouldn't give him the satisfaction of showing any reaction. His beast was screaming in the confines of his mind at him to find a way to stop her suffering and free himself from this disgrace. He would show them then what was the price to touch at his honor and harm what was his. So the demon Lord tried to content himself with only glaring at the putrid youkai in front of him.

Taking it for what it was, a challenge, the ugly youkai wasn't happy about it. He would prefer a whimpering and begging Sesshomaru but it just meant that he had to break him to obtain what he wanted.

He walked closer to Sesshomaru to stand just in front of him. He could feel the demon Lord's eyes following his every movement as a hawk. It only served to further amuse the ugly youkai.

"You know, _My Lord_, you can abandon your all powerful and mighty front because it won't be of any good for you. You are now in my hands to do what I see fit and totally at my mercy." He concluded, a devilish smirk right in place on his lips.

Extending his hand, palm facing the ground, the ugly youkai's eyes didn't leave Sesshomaru's as a dark light swirled around his arm. When the light dissipated, a whip had appeared in his hand in a cloud of smoke.

"Nice trick, don't you think? We are a breed specialized in tortured and such after all." He said, as if he was speaking about the weather, a fanged smile on his face. As rapidly as it appeared, it slid off, leaving in its wake a cold calculating face that Sesshomaru seemed to not be the only one to have the secret of creating. The ugly youkai made the whip crack against the blemished chest of the DaiYoukai.

SMACK

Immediately, a searing sensation spread through his torso to all his body like fire. The demon Lord had to prevent a whimper from escaping his lips.

SMACK

He bit down the inside of his mouth to stop any sound from being produced. The sensation was horrible and horrifyingly intense. It felt like he was burnt.

"Oh? You want to play brave?" the ugly youkai said in a sneer.

SMACK

The ugly reptilian youkai only laughed when he remarked that Sesshomaru was doing his possible to stay as stoic as ever even when hits were raining on him.

SMACK

SMACK

The demon Lord was trying to stay strong, keep his calm and composed but he couldn't stop his eyes from flashing each and every time he could hear the young Miko screams.

"You have no need for your pride anymore, _My Lord._ It's not like you will see the light of the day ever again."

PUNCH

"The girl will one day crack and give in to my Lord. She will serve on a silver platter what he so craves for." He said smirking evilly when he saw the demon Lord glaring at him through his bangs.

It was time to go for the kill. The demon Lord was too confident for the leader's liking. He came closer to the bending form of the DaiYoukai.

"Can I tell you a little secret?" He whispered, knowing that the DaiYoukai would hear him.

"My clan is the one who had created this prison centuries ago." He answered his own question while stepping back his previous position. He waited a second, as the demon Lord straightened to look up at him directly in the eyes before letting his whip fall repetitively.

SMACK

SMACK

SMACK

Sesshoumaru clenched his teeth, trying to be attentive of what the devilish thing was saying. Maybe something useful would come out of the fool's trap of a mouth.

"In all the years of its functioning, no one had ever succeeded in getting out of here…alive." He said the last word quietly, and then his fist went crashing on Sesshomaru's stomach.

PUNCH

This time, the demon Lord of the West couldn't help it and let go of his breathe due to the strength of the hit.

"So you see, you haven't a chance in Hell to get out of this prison, this cell, still breathing, if we don't see it fit." He concluded, laughing like a crazy man.

SMACK

"You know, like you must have deduced, we hadn't always served Lord Naraku. In fact, it's a really recent event. Before, we were serving Lord Hideaki."

Immediately, Sesshomaru peered up even with the pain he was going through. He knew of that Lord. So that meant that they were in the Northern Lands.

That Lord had been like a plague for his Lands and even succeeded in poisoning part of the others. He was a tyrant. The Lord had been destitute from his throne, in other words, killed by another clan who are now reigning on the North, years ago. Sesshomaru knew such because he had taken part of the punitive party.

"Hideaki-sama was good for our clan but had been… disposed of." His face morphed in a horrible mask. "You should know, _My Lord,_ since you were there."

SMACK

SMACK

SMACK

SMACK

SMACK

"But after the disappearance of Lord Hideaki, our clan had been all but forgotten, along with this cave and prison. Because of you, _Lord_ Sesshomaru and the others Lords, we have to live clandestinely but no more."

SMACK

SMACK

It was too much for Sesshomaru. The burning from each hit of the whip was becoming unbearable. Perspiration was appearing on his forehead. Something was amiss. It shouldn't hurt so much.

As if hearing his silent question, the leader of the ugly youkai spoke.

"Oh? Did I forget to tell you? Every instruments created from our powers are poisonous. For you it isn't much, however, the pain is still there."

The whip cracked countless times before Sesshoumaru finally lost consciousness…

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_Hours later…_

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The demon Lord twitched as he was awakening. Finally, he moved a little again and then came back to the world of the living, or so to speak. Gently, he tested his arm, moved his fingers. He felt like little needles were picking his skin as the blood was flowing through his veins.

Sesshomaru had an enormous headache and hurt all over. Slowly, he rose back on his feet with the help of the wall, grunting in the process. His amber pools slide open and he looked down to inspect the damages the other youkai had done to him. The hits had really hurt, like nothing the DaiYoukai had ever felt but now it was almost completely healed. _Curious. How long has this Sesshomaru had been unconscious? _ He thought. He deduced that the poison was only present in the whip to intensify the pain but not stop the healing._ Hn._

Then, as if finally remembering that he wasn't alone, his head snapped toward the entry. There, laying on the floor, was the young Miko.

Soundlessly, Sesshomaru walked towards her prone form. When looking down at her, the demon Lord couldn't find the words to describe what he was feeling at the moment or how to react. Kagome was in an even worse shape than before.

At her side, he saw the bandages and the water, much like the last time. He wouldn't love anything more than just not do what they wanted him to do. If it wouldn't kill her or make her suffer unnecessarily, he would not take care of her injuries just to go against them. However, he couldn't leave the woman like that.

Sighing softly, the demon Lord kneeled at her side. He moved her slowly to not waken or hurt her any more than she was and she was a real bloody mess. The injuries that had scarred before were reopened and new ones had joined them. This time, she had even burn marks on her arms.

With measured movements, Sesshoumaru started to cleanse her injuries. Half through it, Kagome woke up.

"Don't move." He said coldly, not even glancing up from his work.

The young Miko didn't fight him, she didn't have the strength to. Kagome trembled, tears streaming her face. She didn't know how long she would be able to take it. It was just too much for her. It hurt so much.

Sesshoumaru was disturbed by her tears. Like most males, he didn't feel well in the presence of a female in tears, even worse when she was pack. So he tried to find something to diverge her attention elsewhere while keeping tending for her injuries.

"You said you thought of a way to get out."

"W-what?" She shocked out, surprised to hear his voice. Through her pain she heard his deep voice, startling her and making her focus on the DaiYoukai.

It wasn't the answer that he was waiting for. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "This Sesshoumaru doesn't repeat himself."

"I…" She started, gulping and breathing difficultly, her pain evident in her quavering voice.

"The stones on the wall… they work… only in this cell,… so…I thought that…if you or those pieces get out… then… you should be… free…" She said breathlessly.

"What are you getting at, Miko." He snapped coldly, getting tired.

She flinched, and started to sob uncontrollably, not ameliorating her difficulty of breathing but continued to do as ordered. "I… The stones are just sealed on the wall…they are not part of it. If… If we could detached them…and place the three of them by the door… then when… they will activate the spells…you will be projected through the door… to the corridor. There…you would be free."

Sesshoumaru stayed thoughtful a moment, finishing bandaging her wounds. He was a little skeptic. Could it be so simple? The plan was easy, maybe too easy. But at the same time, nothing was telling that the stones could be detached just like that, without the spells removed first. Plus, now that he thought about it, the three pieces must be detached at the same time or he would be quartered at the next activation of the spells. More, nothing said that he could help. After all, he was unable to touch them so the Miko would have to do it by herself. It could take ages before succeeding.

"Hn." The demon Lord looked down at the young woman in question. How much longer will she be able to endure that? Sesshoumaru wasn't sure. She might be stubborn but everyone had his limit, and her being only human… She spoke anew, gaining the DaiYoukai attention.

"You are hurt." She whispered, fighting the sleep that was threatening to overtake her. She tried to rise but Sesshoumaru pushed her down.

"This Sesshoumaru is already healed." He told her, knowing that if he didn't she wouldn't drop the matter._ Stubborn Miko. She should worry about her own condition and not this Sesshomaru's. _He huffed softly to himself.

Being so tired and pain-filled, Kagome didn't fight and fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the ground. Sesshoumaru kept vigil silently at her side, to keep her nightmares away. She had proved that she was deserving of this honor by resisting the dark hanyou…

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That's when they started their long and tiring plan to get out. Kagome stole a spoon from the tray of her meals without arousing the suspicions of their captors. She then used it to scratch at the mortar that was around the stones, keeping them sealed to the wall.

As Sesshoumaru had thought, he was unable to help the Miko in her task. It was a long and tiring process.

For days, until they lost the count, it was always the same. Their captors would come to take her to Naraku's puppet, and one of them would stay behind to 'entertain' Sesshoumaru during her absence. Then, they would drag her beaten up body back in the cell. Sometimes it would be 'only' slices and cuts, when others times she would have some burns marks in addition. When he would be released, he would help clean her wounds and bandaged them. A few hours later, they would be given food. Sesshoumaru would wake her so she could at least have something in her stomach before letting her sleep.

The day after, as her powers would be back, she would heal herself and then, after a quick nap, she would start scratching the mortar slowly and meticulously, taking care to catch the pieces and hide them. She would 'camouflage' it in spreading it in the corners of the cell so, when their captors would enter, they wouldn't remark anything out of the ordinary. It was a long and arduous process, even more than what they had expected.

Naraku didn't seem in any hurry to have his precious power and seemed to take pleasure in just torturing the little Miko over and over again. However, Sesshoumaru could everyday see the result. As the days passed, the demon Lord saw the light in her eyes slowly diminishing after each torture session. With each passing day, Sesshoumaru saw that Naraku was more and more forceful, surely impatient.

Sesshoumaru was growing more impressed by the courage of the girl, even if he could see that her limit was growing close. Most would have already abandoned hope by now, but not her. No, the fierce Miko was still keeping her head up, even if it was more and more painful physically and mentally for the young woman.

When she would be at work, she would talk to Sesshoumaru, even if it was more like a one sided discussion, about her adventures with his half-brother and how everyone came together. The DaiYoukai wouldn't admit it, but he liked to hear her talked about what happened in Inuyasha's group and, sometimes, would have difficulties to stay indifferent and not let a smirk or two slip at the stupidity of his half-brother. Sometimes, his idiocy would surpass anything Sesshoumaru would have thought his half-brother able to. Then one day, she talked about the dead Miko and the relation with Inuyasha. Slowly the pieces of the puzzle were getting their place and Sesshoumaru knew that he will have difficulties to stop his beast from inflicting a punishment like he had never had to Inuyasha for his attitude with the little Miko. His instincts demanded for retribution for each tear the young miko had shed because of him.

Sesshoumaru must admit, even only to himself that he was glad that, if any human prisoner must have been with him in this Hell, that the Miko had been the one. He would not say that he was fond of her presence but, like for Rin, he was not bothered by her. Who would have known? However, everything would go back to normal when they would be out. The demon Lord was sure that it was just an after effect of their close proximity in their common cell.

When she would sleep, Sesshoumaru would, once she was already sleeping, stay close to her to keep the nightmares away. He had tried again to let her sleep on her side alone, but then she had let out the most horrifying and tortured scream that Sesshoumaru had ever heard and then he decided, for the safety of his sensible hearing of course, that he would stay close. Even if the idea of being the watch-dog of a Miko was revolting for someone of his importance.

Kagome still didn't know of that fact, Sesshoumaru would always move away before she opened her eyes, and the demon Lord intended to keep it that way. The DaiYoukai would never admit it but he was getting use to doing it.

Then, one day, everything changed…….


	18. Chapter 18 : Troubles in paradise

Hi!!

Hope everyone is fine! I apologize for my late update. This chapter almost killed me…literally! Lol It had been difficult but here is the result. I really hope that you will like… well, it took me two months so it better be good enough! _

As I warned you last time, if you didn't hate Kikyo before then you will probably do now! I certainly do! lol

Reviews' answers:

**ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS:** OOOh but I can and I did! *grin* I hope you will like this chapter!

**TwilightVampy17 :** thank you so much for your kind words and sorry for the late update. Hope that this new chapter will please you! Thanks for your review.

**flooding-rivers** : don't worry, I wasn't offended. I'm glad that you liked the last chapter and I hope you will like this one too, even if it is a little different. Thank you so much for your review and support.

**1kenshinlover **: you have a good point…but you will have to wait to see what will happen next! ^^ I'm really glad that you like the chapter!

**Niaka1** : I'm really happy that you liked. Unfortunately, Sess&Kag aren't present in this chapter…but I hope that you still will like it! :D thanks for the review.

**Saskiamq** : why not make them mate you asked… in a way, the answer is evident, well for me at least! ^^ They just are able to stand each other, a little respect is building between them but that doesn't mean that they will jump on each other like rabbit in heat! Well not now at least! Lol. I prefer to let things building up slowly rather than jumping steps. It is what I decided for this story. I'm trying to keep Sesshomaru as much close as possible of the original character and I hope to at least succeed partially. I hope that you still like the story, even if it is slower than what you expected! Thanks for your review.

**BlackDog616**: well, I still hope that you will choose to like! Lol. I apologize to keep you waiting for so long for the update. I hope that the longer chapter will satisfy you! Thanks for the review.

**Nikari87 **: I hope that you are still alive even after the long wait! ^^ I really hope that you will like this new update!

**JenJen Midnightgirl** : I'm really glad that you liked ! As you must have guess with how the last chapter end, things will become more complicated for Kagome in the future…but you will have to wait to see! ^^ Still, thank you for your review and support. I'm happy to see that you are still following my little story(ies) after so long! :D

**GeorgieGirl999** : I'm sorry, my dear Georgiegirl, but I can't tell you what will happen before hand…sorry ! I wouldn't like to spoil the fun for you! ;P Thanks for your review!

**MyTwiliLove **: no offense taken ! when I will have some time, I will go make the change… :)

Question 1: no name had been decided as of yet. The 'leader' as I called him, is the youkai that tortured Sesshomaru and he was, too, the third one who had walked in the first time (he is the one who had restrained Kagome, obliging her to watch as the others were beating Sess, while taunting her and him.). To try to make it clearer, here some explainations : there is four 'ugly' youkai that had access to the cell. The first one, the leader, who like to torture and such, then there are the two cousins (they are always together and they are the ones who hit Sesshomaru in an earlier chapter) and finally, there is a young 'ugly' youkai. You will saw later what his link with the others is. He is the one who came to give them food and the bandage. He is nicer than the others, but don't have a choice and had to follow the orders. I don't know if it was evident, but it will be important for later…

Question2: unfortunately, (I say that because I don't really like write the torture scenes _) you will have to 'assist' to the futures tortures sessions. It will be really important for the story. At that moment, you will see some 'instruments' that Naraku had at his disposition to 'play' with Kagome. *shiver*

Question3: well, I think this question is answered with this chapter. :P Sesshomaru and Kagome aren't there at all and you will see the point of view of several other characters… But it will happen only from time to time. As you had remarked, most of the story is either from Sess' or Kagome's point of view, simply because they are the "stars" of the story.

Question4: 'comics scenes' are difficult to write in this kind of story. I tried to make some 'hints' on the lighter side, like the 'toilet problem', or the indignation of Sesshomaru when he had to take care of Kagome. It isn't real 'comic scene' but it make me laugh. *grin* It might happen more in the future but not just right now. As you might have felt, the story will get a little darker with what will happen with Kagome. About Sesshomaru keeping vigil on the sleeping Kagome, well he won't tell. Most of the things Sesshomaru had 'bent' himself to do and will do, happened essentially because no one is there to witness it. It would be too much for his pride, at least right now, to let the information leak…but in the future… who know! ;P

Thanks again for your review. I hope to have answered satisfactorily.:D

**Leshaya** : thank you so much for your review ad I'm really sorry to have taken so long for updating. I sincerely hope that you will like this new chapter too!

**iLovePun:** I'm so happy that you liked! I hope that you will appreciate this chapter too! Thanks for your review.

**SoMeWhErE iN tHe MiDdLe** : I'm so glad that you think that way about my story. Hope that you will like this new update!

**Chippyshero **: LOL. I so can see Kagome 'tazing' Naraku! *grin* Yeah, Naraku and his men will wish to have never been born when Sesshomaru will have finished with *cough,cough* well, it will be Naraku's puppet but still.

**SakuraEmma29 **: Yeah, I hope that you will like how Naraku will end up…*grin* Well, as I said, it will be only his puppet but still…I will feel better after that! Lol. Thanks for your review.

**Purplefav** : Hmm, maybe I made a mistake, I was sure that I said that the chains had been taken off in the first chapters, after the first beating. The collars are keeping his youki in low level but the little youki left is used to heal so that's why Sesshomaru end up almost drained all the time…if I make an error, tell me and I will modify the old chapters ! As for following Kagome's scent, her scent vanished with the youkais'. If you remember, inuyasha wasn't able to find any scent but the traces left behind and the traces of dark aura that miroku felt around the place where it happened were the only lead they had to know what happened to Kagome. Thanks for the review, hope that you'll like this new chapter.

**ishala8** : *blush* thank you for your review ! Sorry for the long wait.

**Sugar0o :** to read that a great author like you, r0o, appreciate my story, I can't put in words what I feel…*do the happy-dance* Thank you so much. *blush* You got several good points but I can't say too much or it would spoil the fun! :P I hope that this new chapter will not disappoint you! Thank you so much for your review.

**Kamorea Chan**: It's a really REALLY good question! Well, the month didn't pass yet! A little more than 10 days, I lost the exact count! :D Keep that information in mind! It will be important later on…just a little hint. *wink* Thanks for your review!

**pandora-of-the-south:** LOL. Sorry to have tortured you with the "evil cliffy"! *grin* I have the regret to say that you will have to wait a little more before knowing what that cryptic last sentence mean because the answer isn't in this chapter…please don't kill me! *hide behind the chair* The only thing I can say is that even if you idea was seducing, the response isn't a wet dream. *blush* Where did you get this idea from? Lol. Thanks for the review and your support.

**Jeweled Fairy:** thank you so much for your kind words and your ever so faithful support. Don't worry, I didn't abandon this story! It's just that I had difficulties to write this new chapter and I was really occupied with others stories and work. I hope that you will like this new chapter. Oh and this one is a little longer than the others! *wink* It hadn't been said yet how Sesshomaru had been captured.

**XxBlEeDiNg BlAcK rOsEsXx**: it's woman! *grin* The torture isn't in this chapter but it will be soon…you will have your wish soon! ;D I'm really glad that you like my story and I hope that you will not be disappointed with this new chapter. Thanks for your review.

**Crebe**: I'm sorry *whine*. Lol. I didn't abandon the story though, it just took me longer to write this new chapter. Hope you will like. Thank you for your review.

Thanks to : **Kanae14, Glykera, angelapage, kouga's older woman, mischievous, JadeDreamWolf, dark shadowed rose, SakuraDreamHeart, monkey-101, Asherah4u, my name is paper YAH, x0CrimsonKnight0x, SheWhoDreamsofSilverAndGold, DemonessKatana, MysticSea88, onelight**, for your review.

Well, I hope that I didn't forget anyone!

I thank deeply FRIZZ, my beta, for her hard work and god that I didn't make it easy for her! You rock girl!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha. *sigh*

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Chapter 18 :

Troubles in paradise…

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Atop a hill, a dark castle stood over the dense and vast forest. The palace seemed deserted, without a living soul miles around. When you stepped inside those walls, an evil aura fell on you like a ton of bricks, so oppressing you found difficulties in even breathing. Those walls, when closely studied, were tainted with dark brown stains. If the rare visitors were curious enough to want to learn what those stains were, then they would discover that they were the blood of the previous and legitimate owner of said palace.

This was the latest castle acquired by the dark hanyou.

In the master bedroom, on a simple futon adorned with cushions, sat Naraku. The dark hanyou wasn't wearing any clothes and was leaning back on the wall…but more importantly, he wasn't alone. With a nod of his head, the woman who was with him, walked out on the balcony, wearing only a part of the sheets wrapped around her body.

Naraku then called out for Kanna. Almost instantly, the little white girl stepped in. The dark hanyou only half-heartily hid the lower part of his body to the impassible eyes of Kanna. The little girl didn't even blink as her master, her father in a twisted way, exhibited himself freely in front of her. Her black eyes fixed an invisible point in front of her, her little fingers clenching her mirror as if her life depended of it. Kanna didn't speak, didn't move, waiting her orders.

The dark hanyou looked towards the white little girl. If he was to be honest, his first creation, without a soul, was one of the most useful of all his incarnations. She wasn't really made to fight but her ability to spy everywhere without moving, if no barrier was present, had been a useful tool against his enemies. And what was the most important was that the fact that the girl hadn't a soul, and so, hadn't any urge for freedom. She would never betray him, she wouldn't even have the idea to. If fact, Kanna would most assuredly be completely lost if no one was there to tell her what to do. It was at least, one less person to spy on to make sure that they were following his wishes.

"Show me that hanyou favorite of mine, Kanna." Naraku said finally.

Kanna's mirror lit up and in a flash, an image appeared. The calmed expression on Naraku's face morphed in a snarl when he saw where Inuyasha and his group were at the moment.

With a flick of the hand, the dark hanyou dismissed the albino girl, who instantly disappeared back behind the rice paper screen that was the door of the bedroom. Naraku, was not happy and that was an understatement. He called out for the woman and reclined against the wall, waiting.

A moment later, the nude woman walked back in. She stepped closer to stand in front of Naraku but stayed on her guard. She knew the character of the hanyou and she didn't particularly wish to be at the other hand of his anger.

"Kikyo." Said the hanyou, gesturing for the woman in question to sit on the futon. Without any question, the undead miko complied and gazed coldly towards Naraku, waiting to know what he wanted to say.

Kikyo started to lose her patience when, after a few minutes, Naraku hadn't said anything. The woman always felt uneasy in the presence of the hanyou, much like her shinigamis. The white snake-like youkai were frightened by Naraku and refused to come anywhere close to him. That's why the undead Miko had to step out on the balcony to feed off souls. It was the closest the soul-collectors would come. At the same time, it was no wonder when, in their first meeting with the dark hanyou, he had snapped one in half and then absorbed it, in front of the others. It was clear that Naraku didn't like the soul-collectors.

The undead miko started to fidget under the intense gaze of the hanyou. She always kept her cold composure in any situation but she couldn't in front of Naraku. She couldn't take it any longer.

"How your plan is going? Can I hope to receive my soul back soon?"

"Why, Kikyo, a little more straight to the point and I would think that you are impatient to see your reincarnation dead." He said maliciously. "Have you no shame? To listen to you speaking that way, people would think that you have something against the girl. Do you hate her so much?"

The undead miko didn't open her mouth and looked away, making the evil hanyou chuckled darkly.

"Don't worry, I will honor my part of our pact and deliver her soul on a silver platter, however you will have to be a little more patient. The little Miko is more resistant than I thought and won't break that easily. But she is still fun to play with. Her pain-filled screams are like music to my ears. But are you sure that you share the same soul? She is in every way your opposite. It had been so easy to make you lay down, legs spread."

Kikyo snapped her head towards him, her eyes burning with her anger, her fear of Naraku all but forgotten at the instant.

"Look at what is coming out of your mouth, hanyou. Don't ever compare me again to that useless piece of meat."

Before she could react, Naraku's hand was curled up around her throat, bringing her face nose to nose with him. Kikyo's eyes wide in surprise and fright.

"You should be the one taking care of what comes out of your mouth, Kikyo. Don't think of yourself as indispensable. I just keep you around because you amuse me, so don't lose your worth. I can say whatever I want to anyone I want, keep that in mind or you could pay dearly. Personally, I can see some worth in this 'piece of meat' as you put it. She just needs some training to learn who is in charge and that no one will ever come to rescue her. Once done, I'm sure she will be delightful. But if you are so great then explain to me why InuYasha and his group are snooping around where they shouldn't, hm?"

"A-are they close to f-finding her location?" She asked breathlessly.

Naraku relaxed his hold on her. "No, but they are in the right direction and I don't like it. What will you do to straighten this situation?" He asked, one of his clawed fingers of his other hand trailing on her cheek.

"I will make them go back on the 'right road'. It won't be difficult to convince him that they are going of course."

Naraku smirked, apparently pleased with her once more. "I knew that I was keeping you for a good reason. Now, what can I do to punish you for your earlier insubordination?"

Before she could answer, his mouth went crashing on hers. Without any resistance on her part, Naraku ripped off the sheets around her body and moved her to lay down on the futon with him…

………………………………..

In the dark corridor, around the corner, a young boy observed. He didn't know what was happening, but his master had been up to something for some time now. Whatever it was, it was something really big. So important that he wouldn't let anyone in on the plan.

Kohaku hadn't had the opportunity to get out from the castle for days. Naraku was planning something but he had no idea what. Since a few weeks ago when he charged him to kidnap some priests in the mountains, the evil hanyou hadn't given him any instruction.

The young slayer observed as the albino creepy little girl, Kanna, stepped out of their master's bedroom and stood still by the door, awaiting her next assignment apparently. The girl seemed to be the only one in the castle who knew what Naraku was plotting about this time. However, it was useless to try to pry information out of her. Kanna was blindly following Naraku's orders and if the dark hanyou told her to keep it secret then nothing could be done to make the girl talk about it.

It wasn't important for Kohaku anyways because he had no intention to speak with her. He couldn't help it, the dark void of her eyes and impassible character was just too creepy for him. Still, he was curious to know what Naraku was up to this time.

"Did you see something interesting?" Came a sulfurous voice right behind him.

Kohaku jumped, feeling like if his heart was about to stop from the fright. He even had difficulties not letting out a startled scream. The young boy whirled around and came face to face with the piercing red eyes of the only other inhabitant of the castle who may hate Naraku more than him.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about." The young boy said shakily, avoiding eye-contact.

Kagura just chuckled. She too observed his elder sister, waiting for their master's orders.

"I'm still curious to know what that bastard is plotting about." She said suddenly.

Kohaku looked at the wind witch a moment. He knew that the woman would give anything to finally find the freedom that she so craved for. However, the boy still had difficulties trusting her…even a little. He was sure that it was the same for her.

"I don't know what is happening but apparently, it's something big."

Kagura hummed. "Is he alone right now?"

Kohaku shook his head at which the wind witch huffed. "Let me guess, the whoring corpse is here?" Asked Kagura, her face twisted in disgust.

As if to answer her question, noises started to come from the bedroom. Moans and grunts became louder and echoed in the almost empty castle.

"That…that, it's just too much for me, I need to get out." Said the red eyed incarnation, fighting against her gag reflex. Just with the sounds… if she was just to think about what was happening at the moment in the bedroom, Kagura was sure that she would throw up. It was just too disgusting to stand, even for her. It wasn't like it was a secret. Everyone with ears or nose at Naraku's service knew about this 'special relationship' between the dark hanyou and the undead miko. In two seconds, the woman disappeared with a ruffle of silk.

Kohaku turned to glance one more time towards Kanna. It was evident what was happening in the bedroom, but the little white girl wasn't moving or didn't seem even disturbed by that.

The young slayer lingered a second before walking away as well…

…………………….

_Somewhere at the northern lands' border…_

_Inuyasha's group…_

……………………_._

The sun was brightly shining high in Feudal Japan's sky. The famous mismatched pack of InuYasha's was walking silently in the woods towards a new direction. They already tried to find a trail or leads that could have indicate where their missing companion was imprisoned at and who had captured her after planning so meticulously her kidnapping but found nothing. Gone were the happy thatching and the cheerful unstressed atmosphere that was usually animating the group. The moral was at its lowest. They already had passed ten days since they had learned about Kagome's disappearance and they had yet to find anything. A morose and heavy ambiance had found the traveling companions since they had lost the young Miko.

To everyone's surprise, Miroku hadn't insisted more that day in his interrogation of InuYasha and had yet to even mention it again. When the young monk had seen the way the hanyou was reacting, he knew that he wouldn't obtain any answer from the stubborn half-demon. So, Miroku had let the matter slide for the time being. They had covered the East for a long moment, but, as they hadn't found any lead, they decided to change direction…

to the North.

Sango was glancing between the Monk and the hanyou, as she had often done during the last few days. Miroku hadn't said more than two words, and only if necessary, to InuYasha since the 'incident' happened.

She too had been angry with InuYasha for his lack of answer but the monk wasn't usually one to keep a grudge for long. That was why the demon slayer was so worried. More so, Sango felt lonely. For the first time since she discovered that her village and her people had been destroyed, the woman felt like she was truly alone.

Sango too was worried sick about Kagome, but the way the monk was reacting… was unusual. The slayer thought that maybe Miroku knew something but when she had tried to talk about it, he had refused and avoided the subject. It was confirmation that Miroku effectively knew something but just refused to tell any of them for the moment. That was really something she didn't understand.

For the umpteenth time today, Sango sighed, defeated. Why wouldn't Miroku talk to her? He had even almost entirely stopped groping her. It wasn't like she was missing it, but she could count on one hand the numbers of time he did it since Kagome's kidnapping and in itself prove to be atypical for the young lecherous monk. He was definitively hiding something and wouldn't even say it to her.

Miroku glanced towards the demon slayer beside him by the corner of his eyes when he heard her sigh again. The younger member of the troop, Shippo, was absent. They had entrusted him to Kaede back at the village by the old well during their last visit. It wasn't that they didn't want him with them anymore, but it was for his own good.

Shippo had fought them, saying that he wanted to find Kagome but they all knew that it was better for him to stay in the village with the old Miko.

The little kitsune had cried every night since the young miko's kidnapping and was so tired that he was unable to defend himself properly or avoid being attacked during the fights, almost costing him his life. It was the old miko who convinced him, saying that he was exhausted and needed some rest and that if something was to happen to him while she wasn't there to protect him, Kagome would be heart-broken. With the promise that he would be allowed to go with them after their next visit, the young boy had accepted.

They were walking for like hours, when, suddenly, InuYasha stopped and went rigid. Fearing the worst, his companions tensed up, waiting for an upending attack. After a moment of nothing happening, Sango spoke up.

"InuYasha? What is it?" she asked, scanning the woods around them, trying to find what was wrong.

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……………………………

_Naraku's castle…_

……………………………

It had been quiet for a moment so Kohaku, pushed by his curiosity, went back around the corner, waiting to see what was happening. Kanna had long left her post by the door, probably gone to do some task for their master.

Finally, just at the moment he was about to give up, the screen of Naraku's bedroom door slid open. The young slayer hid, not wishing to be caught spying. The undead Miko walked out, her posture always as proud as ever, even after what had just occurred between her and the dark hanyou.

She was almost out of sight when her head suddenly snapped towards the wall that Kohaku was hiding behind, and glared coldly. When she finally left, the young slayer released the breath he wasn't even aware of holding.

Kohaku was still puzzled and had yet to discover anything that could explain what was going on. The only thing he was certain was that the undead Miko was part of the plot….

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…………………………………

_Back in the forest…_

…………………………………

Sango was observing the half-demon, not understanding the reason of his sudden stop. She turned to Miroku and saw that he was staring intensely the woods ahead of them. She turned just in time to see a pale figure breaking thought the dense foliage.

"Kikyo…" InuYasha whispered almost reverently.

"InuYasha." Said the undead Miko in question tonelessly.

The two of them stayed without moving, observing each other silently and forgetting even the presence of the others.

Kikyo had been trailing the group for two hours already, waiting for the right moment to make her appearance. She had to play it wisely; she didn't have the right to mess it up. Her orders were still fresh in her mind…

…………………….

_A few hours ago,_

_In Naraku's bedroom…_

…………………….

Slowly with a grace only attained by doing it all her life, Kikyo got back into her Miko garb. She could feel the eyes of the dark hanyou upon her form.

"I have a question for you, Kikyo." Started Naraku. He waited until she was facing him before starting again. "You understand what must be done about our little dog-eared friend, right?"

The undead Miko nodded. "I must make sure to distract him and that he and his rag-tag group doesn't go to the North." She said lifelessly.

"Good. Don't let yourself be distracted from your objective. If they were to find the little troublesome miko's hiding place now, everything would fall through and you can forget the idea of getting your soul back. We wouldn't want that, right?"

"No." She said more firmly as she was tying her hair in her traditional loose pony tail.

"Then you won't have any problems with carrying out your orders?" He asked, playing distractedly with the sheets.

"I will definitely make them change their road. It won't be a problem at all."

"That's good to hear. It is pointless for me to tell you that you wouldn't like the consequence if you were to fail, isn't it?"

Kikyo glared coldly at the relaxed form of the dark hanyou who was looking at her, a smirk upon his lips. She really despised him. But at the same time, she couldn't stop herself from being drawn to his darkness. It was calling to her even now. It was like a drug. Plus, she needed him now if she wanted to get her soul back. She had tried but was unable to get it back by her own powers. She had no choice.

"You don't have to threaten me, Naraku, I know what I must do for our plan to succeed."

Without anymore words, Kikyo turned around and walked towards the screen.

"Kikyo." The dark hanyou called back. "I have faith in your capabilities so don't disappoint me. In the meanwhile, I have a little Miko that I'm sure craves for my presence." With a wave and some of his dark purple miasma, a puppet appeared in the palm of his hand. Then, the dark hanyou pulled out a hair from his head and put it around the wooden puppet.

The undead Miko didn't stop and walked out of the bedroom. She had seen him do it numerously so by just the shift of his aura, she knew what he was doing without looking back.

………………………….

_Back in the woods,_

_With InuYasha and his group…_

…………………………

When Kikyo had stepped out of the forest, she had seen the face of the demon slayer twisting in disgust. It wasn't new and frankly, the feeling was mutual. If she had the choice, she wouldn't be there either. But to the success of months of planning, it was a small price that the undead miko was ready to pay.

No, what really intrigued her was the reaction of the monk. However, she didn't have much time to think about it when the young hanyou walked to her.

"Why did you seek me? Did something happen? Are you alright?" InuYasha said almost tenderly while stepping closer to the undead Miko.

Sango glared at the hanyou's back. Really sometimes she really can't stand him. How could he act so gently and carefully around the walking corpse of his old lover and be so abrupt and unfeeling when around a woman who had done and would do anything for him like Kagome? It was beyond her imagination! From the corner of her eyes, the demon slayer saw Miroku's hand griping more forcefully his staff. Surely to contain his anger, much like herself with the straps of her faithful Hiraikotsu.

Kikyo had to resist the urge to smile at how easily it was for her to manipulate the young foolish hanyou. Really, Kagome never stood a chance against her, not one snowball chance in Hell. Her eyes then swept upon Inuyasha's companions. It was clear as day that they disliked and distrusted her. Well, they aren't as stupid as they seemed to be and the feeling was mutual. She was still surprised by the hostility that the young monk was portraying though. In the past, he had always been so courteous and smiling, always trying the smooth things between everyone but now… now there he was wearing an unreadable expression on his face… the anger was evident, bordering on hate, if what she could read of his aura was accurate. What did brought out this change? _Could he have some inkling? _Kikyo thought uneasy but not alarmed. She would just have to keep an eye on things.

Finally, she impassively gazed back at the love-sick puppy.

"Where is my copy, InuYasha?" She asked tonelessly as if she had just noticed the absence of the other woman.

At her inquiry, Inuyasha's ears dropped immediately on his head, his worry evident. The undead miko was sure that if it was still possible for her, she would be fighting the urge to throw up. However, she succeeded in hiding her disgust while pretending interest when the hanyou answered about the whereabouts of the girl.

"She was kidnapped days ago." He said, his head low in shame. Then, his head snapped up, hope and trust shinning in his golden eyes. "Did you hear something? Or maybe have you an idea of where she could be?"

Kikyo observed the seemly submissive half-demon in from of her for a moment. _So much trust in his gaze… InuYasha you truly is a fool. _She thought, emotionlessly.

"She may have my soul, that doesn't mean that I know where she could be."

As soon as those words escaped her mouth, the hanyou's head dropped. Kikyo then glanced at the tensed young monk before adding. "However…" she said, trailing off.

"If you know something then tell us!" Sango finally interfered. She couldn't take much more. Seeing the two of them gazing at each other like that was sickening. It was as if Inuyasha's brain was switching off each time that the former guardian of the Shikon Jewel appeared. And she, well the undead miko wasn't expressing anything but it fell like she was well aware of her power over the half-demon.

"Sango!" Interjected said hanyou at the hostility her heard in the voice of the woman.

The undead miko didn't seem even perturbed and answered.

"I'm not sure that it concerns her, slayer, but some activities had been detected in the South."

"Do you think that there is a chance that she could be there, Kikyo?" Asked InuYasha, receiving a death-glare from Sango.

"I don't know. It could be." Answered the undead miko, not showing any concern that she wasn't feeling anyway.

"Would you come with us to help in finding Kagome?" said InuYasha, taking the cold hand of the undead miko in his warm clawed hands.

"InuYasha!" exclaimed the mortified demon slayer. What was the hanyou doing?! If Kagome was to learn that Kikyo had joined them while she was away, it would break her heart, worst than it already was.

"What Sango?!" snapped the half-demon while turning around to face the slayer. Couldn't she realize that they needed her help? That the situation was desperate?!

"We don't have a clue of where Kagome is. No lead at all. Kikyo is the only one who can help us to find her!"

Sango closed her mouth in a click, stunned by the force of Inuyasha's outburst.

The hanyou sighed. "I know what you are thinking, Sango, but it's our only chance."

The demon slayer glanced towards Miroku to have his opinion. She didn't like having to resort to the undead miko to find Kagome but she was desperate. The days where fleeing rapidly and they still had no lead… But Miroku's eyes were fixed only on Kikyo.

With the young Monk looking at her with such intensity and his body tense like that, the undead miko thought that maybe he knew something and just refused to communicate it for the moment. She would have to keep an eye on him.

Miroku decided against answering the silent question of the demon slayer. He will have to keep watch. He was almost certain that the sudden appearance of the undead miko wasn't just a coincidence. _Did it have any link with Kagome's disappearance?..._

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…………………………

_Two days later…_

………………………..

It had been two days now since Kikyo had joined their group and they still had no new lead. The atmosphere in the group of companions had only worsened since her arrival. Sango was starting to become desperate that they will ever find the young miko, and it was really breaking her heart.

Depressed already, she had to stop herself from being submerged by her darkest thoughts about the whereabouts of their missing friend. _"Is she even still alive?"_ If she was to let this disturbing thought enter her mind even for a second, she might just collapse.

She was losing hope rapidly and the two men of the group weren't helping either.

Sango had tried to question Kikyo, trying to pry some information from her but the former guardian of the Jewel had just looked at her impassively every time or ignored her altogether. If the slayer was to insist too much, InuYasha was immediately interfering, snapping at her to leave Kikyo alone.

Watching them side by side was more and more sickening. The hanyou was covering her as if she could break…well technically she could but it wasn't like she was made of fine porcelain neither! By her comportment, Sango had some doubts that finding Kagome was really top priority in her agenda. Then there were moments where she would suddenly leave to feed off of the souls of innocent deceased maidens. It was just too much for the slayer taste and nerves.

Then, on another side, there was Miroku. The young Monk had become even more silent than before, always observing Kikyo's every move without even blinking.

Sango, for the umpteenth time, tried to initiate a conversation with the unusually quiet monk. She then told him about her fears.

"Miroku-sama, do you think that Kagome is alright?"

The young monk sighed and answered without looking at her, feeling the distress of the young woman. "I don't know for sure but what I know is that Kagome-sama is stronger than anyone imagine. We have to have faith in her."

"But Miroku-sama, from this group, Kagome-chan is the most fragile so if she has been in the hands of Naraku all along, I'm afraid to think that she may be…"

Miroku stopped and whirled around to face the demon slayer. "If it is to say stupid things like that then it is better for you to stay silent, Sango."

The demon slayer gasped, shocked by the venom she heard for the first time in the voice of the young monk while he was talking to her.

"Miroku-sama…?" she asked timidly.

Miroku breathed deeply, trying to calm down. "Sango, you are supposed to be the person who is the closest to Kagome-sama but if you make the same mistake as others and think that she is weak and you don't trust her capability then I'm really disappointed in you."

With that said, he resumed his walk and observation of the undead miko, leaving the dumbfounded and slightly hurt demon slayer behind.

……………………………….

It had been two hours since the little altercation between Sango and Miroku and the two friends hadn't said anything since then. The tension was suffocating.

The young monk had tried to keep quiet but it was becoming too much to bear. Finally, Miroku had had enough. He stopped abruptly. The demon slayer who was walking by his side stopped too when she saw that he wasn't following anymore.

"Miroku-sama?" She questioned, immediately gaining the attention of the two who were leading the way.

The hanyou turned around when the undead miko only looked above her shoulder. He had felt the tension, he wasn't blind but he didn't know what the problem was.

"Oi, Bozo, what's the problem?!"

But the monk ignored him completely.

"Hey! I asked why did you stop!?!" InuYasha said more forcefully while walking towards Miroku to stand in front of him. However, the half-demon realized rapidly that his friend wasn't paying any attention to him, which further frustrated and ticked off InuYasha. In a show of temper, he grabbed Miroku by the front of his robes, shaking him. "Oy! I'm talking to you!!"

But the young monk's attention was only on one person.

"Where are you leading us?" He finally asked said person.

That's when InuYasha realized that Miroku was fixing his gaze on the back of undead miko.

"To find a lead to Kagome's captors of course!" Yelled an even more exasperated InuYasha, answering for her.

Sango looked confused as one more time, Miroku ignored the half-demon.

"Is it true?" He asked flatly, his violet gaze still locked on Kikyo's back who finally turned around.

"What are you implying, monk?" She asked tonelessly.

"I think you know perfectly well what I'm asking." He retorted calmly, his eyes hardening.

"Oy, bastard! Stop ignoring me!!" Yelled InuYasha, his body trembling in rage.

But Miroku used his staff to make the half-demon finally release his robe.

"What do you mean?" Spoke up the demon slayer, who was ignored as Miroku took a step towards the undead Miko. Kikyo stayed silent, observing.

"Don't act as though you don't understand what I'm asking." He said, anger finally apparent in his tone.

"Miroku." Growled InuYasha when stepping between his friend and the undead miko, taking a stand to protect her.

Miroku only glanced for a second at InuYasha before looking back at Kikyo.

"You and I know perfectly well that you have no advantage in finding Kagome-sama. The question is, is there something more behind it?"

Kikyo finally reacted, narrowing her cold eyes at the hard expression on the face of the usually jovial monk.

"Teme! What are you accusing Kikyo of?!!"

Miroku looked at the half-demon dead in the eyes who surprisingly had difficulties to not flinch under such a stare.

"What I'm saying, InuYasha, is that she has never had any inclination in saving Kagome-sama in the past, ever. Quite the opposite in fact. She would certainly prefer seeing her dead. What I'm implying is that she is obviously leading us further from Kagome-sama's location. What I am asking is if she is doing that on her own behalf or for someone else."

"Are you saying…?" Sango started to say.

"That she must be working with the one who had kidnapped Kagome-sama? Yes. And if you are asking if I think of Naraku, then the answer is also yes."

"Bastard!!" Yelled InuYasha, moving to slash through the monk with his claws, who stopped the attack with his staff.

"How can you accuse Kikyo like that! She is working to destroy Naraku like us, not working for him! She came to help us and you express your gratitude by insulting her!!"

"Are you really so sure, InuYasha? Or is it your feelings for her talking?" Said Miroku so coldly that the hanyou froze.

Seeing that everything wasn't going as planned, Kikyo reacted.

"I came to help you in finding my copy and that's how you repay me?"

"See? She is here to help us!" exclaimed the half-demon.

" I will ask a question of my own too, monk. What is your real relationship with my reincarnation?"

Miroku took a step back, surprised by the question. Then, as if realizing what she was trying to do, his eyes narrowed.

"You are implying…?"

She had to suppress a smirk when she opened her mouth anew. "Nothing. It's just that I find that you are really worried and anxious to find just a friend."

"What?!?" InuYasha yelled, whirling around to face the monk.

From the corner of his eyes, Miroku saw Sango looking at him in surprise but in curiosity too. Hurt more than he was ready to admit, the young monk schooled his features.

"If you want to believe her lies, then so be it. I have nothing more to do here." Miroku said, turning his back from his companions and walking away.

"Where do you think you are going?!"

"To find Kagome-sama." Simply answered the young monk, walking in the direction of the East.

Sango hesitated. She could not imagine anything going on between the monk and the young miko but at the same time, she had seen that their relationship had evolved in the last months. But until a second ago, she had never thought, even for an instant that something like that could have been happening between her two closest friends.

The slayer was stirred out of her thoughts when her faithful neko friend, Kirara, jumped out of her shoulder and followed after the monk.

"Kirara?"

The neko youkai looked at her mistress. She then turned towards the undead miko. She let a hiss before flicking her tails in her direction and trotted to the monk side who had stopped at the borders of the woods, without looking back.

The hurt was evident on the demon slayer face when she saw her neko mew at the young monk feet.

"By the way, you can do what you want with this information but I just wanted to add that I'm not the one who had my aura tainted by Naraku's miasma so thoughtfully. You should keep that in mind."

With that said, Miroku and Kirara disappeared in the woods.

Sango was frozen on the spot, unable to process what happened. She couldn't believe that Miroku and her best friend since she was little had abandoned her.

"What do you mean by aura tainted by miasma? Miroku get back here and explain yourself!"

When the young monk didn't reappear, InuYasha let out a growl. "Fine! We don't need you anyways! You will see, I will find Kagome! Let's go Kikyo." He said, going back on the road they have been following until the monk's interruption.

The demon slayer numbly followed after the hanyou and the undead miko. But after a few minutes, Sango stopped, still deep in thought.

"Sango?" Called out the half-demon.

"I'm sorry InuYasha, I… I will go with Miroku-sama and Kirara." With that said, Sango turned around and ran towards where the two had disappeared. She was berating herself to have so easily doubted the young monk genuine concerns about their common friend and to have been fooled so easily by the undead miko's words.

"Sango!" Yelled after the demon slayer the half-demon. He had been able to keep his strong front when the monk had left so abruptly but now even the demon slayer had left him. His heart twisted in angst as Sango's form disappeared too in the woods. He was alone. He hadn't been alone since his awakening, when Kagome arrived in his time. His ears dropped on his head and he had to resist the urge to whimper.

"InuYasha." Said toneless the undead miko as she put one of her cold hands on his arm.

The hanyou looked down at her and sighed. Then, without saying anything, he started to walk.

Kikyo stayed behind a moment. She glared coldly towards the woods. It would be more difficult to control where those fools were going now. The only thing that stopped her from following was the fact that they had taken the direction of the East. It wasn't the right direction and she knew that they won't be able to track Kagome's position without the help of the hanyou. She was aware that even InuYasha couldn't find the cave where was imprisoned her reincarnation but Naraku couldn't risk all his hard-work on this assumption and so here she was, making certain he wouldn't find it. She would have her soul back, at all costs.

….

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End of the chapter 18.

*phew* this chapter tired me! Well I hope that you liked!

Ja ne!

Sweetest angel


	19. Chapter 19 : Saved?

Hello everyone !

Sorry for the late update! For once it wasn't my fault! :P well, it isn't my beta's fault either. She moved out and can't seem to be able to succeed in having her internet connected. Anyways, she couldn't work on the chapter. Since it was taking so much time, I asked for someone else help. I thank profusely **Pandora of the South **to have taken on her time to take a look on the chapter so I was able to post this. Thank you!!

Review's answer corner:

**1kenshinlover **: I'm so glad that you liked ! Yeah, I think too that Miroku, if you put aside his 'cursed hand' problem, is really intelligent. I always thought that Sango was a little biased in her way of thinking most of the time. It isn't really her fault, she had been rise like that and after what happened to her clan, you understand that she had trust issue. I wanted to accentuate that point in this story. I hope I will succeed to do it while still keeping close to the 'original Sango' character. I think that Miroku makes a good confident. Thank for your review!

**XxBlEeDiNg BlAcK rOsEsXx** : No problem. LOL. For your thirst of blood, you will have to wait for the next chapter, sorry. Thank for the review!

**Jeweled Fairy** : thank you so much for your kind words ! I always wait for your review with impatience! :D Yeah, Miroku, when he wants it, can be the wisest of the group. As for the problem between Miroku and Sango well all I can say is that it is just the beginning but shhhh, I didn't say anything! ;P thanks for the review!

**Chippyshero** : Hm, you have a lot of faith in the ability of InuYasha to get his head out of his ass ! lol We will have to wait and see what will happen! Thanks for your review.

**my name is paper YAH**: InuYasha can't sense the traces of Naraku on Kikyo because he can't smell it. Miroku is able to tell that something is wrong with her because he had the ability to see her aura. InuYasha, being hanyou can't see it as easily. His senses are duller in that aspect. For example, he can say that Kikyo had powers, his instincts warn him as such, but he would be able to see them only if she calls upon them, intensifying her aura. I don't know how to explain. If you want for me to explain more clearly, please, feel free to ask and tell me. Thank you for your review.

**JenJen Midnightgirl:** thank you so much for your kind words. I promise to put Jaken and Rin in a chapter soon, I didn't forget about them! :) As I was trying to explain to my name is paper YAH, Miroku has the ability to see the aura of Kikyo and is able to see that her aura is tainted. Thank you for your review!

**honey-senpai** : As I tried to explain in an earlier author's note, Naraku wished to use Kagome to have a child so, when he will absorb it, there is a lesser important probability that he will be rejected since it will be of his. He wishes to have access to holy powers and he doesn't want to take risks. Plus, he would get rid of the torn of his side that represent Kagome after breaking her. However, if a child born between holy and youkai had already been born, he would have tried to absorb it. It was just that, since he had to create one, he prefers for it to be his. Don't know if I was clear enough but I hope to have answered your question. As for your other question, no, it isn't a story where Sesshomaru will be in heat and jump on the poor unsuspected Kagome. Thank you so much for your review.

**JC1988** : LOL. Good point ! it is surprising coming from Miroku, right? *grin* thanks for the review.

**BlackDog616** : thank you, thank you so much for your review and kind words ! I'm really glad that you like! Hope you will like this chapter too! :D

**pandora-of-the-south**: thanks for the review. You remind me. Yes, I will try to put Kouga somewhere. It would be strange if the wolf prince doesn't come to see 'his woman' for too long. Lol

Thanks too to: **edward shines, Silveromance, kouga's older woman, Kamorea Chan, Gems Precious, Black Light Brightness, TwilightVampy17, flooding-rivers, merlyn1382, dark shadowed rose**, for the review.

Well, that's all. So here is the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha

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Chapter 19 :

Saved ?

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Birds were chirping happily not far away from her, she could tell. She could make out their joyous melodic chants as she slowly awakened.

Kagome groaned and rolled over, trying to block out the sound, not wishing to wake up just now. However, as she was about to fall back asleep memories of what happened in the last few days came back flowing through her mind. Her eyes snapped open. She sat up abruptly, ready to see the dirty moist walls of her cell. But all she saw were trees all around her. _What…?_ She frowned and looked around frantically but nothing was there beside dense foliage. She was truly confused.

Then, it was as if lightning had struck her. A hand flew to her forehead as a headache sprinted to life between her eyes. Something was not right here. She was not sure what but something was out of place or missing, if she could just remember what! But the more she reflected on it, the more she tried to remember and the worst her headache was getting.

_What is happening? Where am I?_ She thought. She tried to remember how she could have ended up in the forest when her last memories were of her in a cell with… Sesshomaru!

Kagome looked around frantically to see if she could find any trace of the demon Lord's whereabouts; there was nothing. Was this what she had found out of place or rather missing?

She couldn't stop worry from getting a hold of her heart. She got up and then she finally remarked another thing that wasn't normal: her body wasn't hurting. She looked at herself over and found all of her wounds already scarred… that wasn't normal at all. How could that be possible? However, she pushed this issue out of her mind and started to call out for the DaiYoukai. Where is he? Where could she be?

The young Miko was panicking. She started to run, still calling out for him, her only companion in the cell. But rapidly, fatigue won over her still weak body as she fell on the ground. She started to weep her soul out. She was alone, truly alone. Her only anchor to reality and sanity had suddenly disappeared without a trace. Despair flooded through her like a tsunami.

When she was about to abandon and loose any hope, a name was heard in the wind. At first, she ignored it and continued to grovel in self-pity. But then, the voice became louder and the name clearer, easier to understand. Her sobs calmed down as she tried to listen. Anew the voice came.

"Kagome!"

The young Miko's head snapped up and turned in the voice direction. Her heart started to beat wildly in her chest. She couldn't believe her ears.

She tried to not let joy burst through her like fire before she was sure, but hope still rose in her. Did he actually try to find her? Did he find her?

"Kagome!" The voice was getting closer now.

"InuYasha…" She whispered, not sure if she should believe it or not. Wasn't he supposed to be who knows where with her previous incarnation? Would the dark hanyou have lied to her? She didn't know what to think but at the same time she was just happy that someone was trying to find her. She hadn't been abandoned.

And then, he was there. Silver hair, golden eyes, twitching ears on the top of his head…yes it was definitely him.

He knelled at her side.

"Kagome, are you alright? What happened?" He said in his usual gruff way, as he looked her over to find any traces of injuries.

_Yes, it's him!_ She thought overjoyed. Tears willed up in her eyes, blurring her sight. She threw herself at the unsuspected half-demon. "It's you, it's really you! Thank you for finally finding me! Thank you for looking for me!" She said through tears.

A soft pink rushed on his cheeks. Not knowing how to react, the hanyou enlaced her back awkwardly.

"Feh! Of course it's me wench." He said in his trade-mark way of talking only to make her sob harder.

After a few minutes, she calmed down enough to be able to speak anew.

"How? Where? How did you find me? How did I get out? How…"

"Calm down, Wench. I don't know. I just came here. We tried to find you for the longest time but the Bastard had found a way to hide your scent completely. We were able to trail your scent since only a day ago."

"We?" She said, peeking up at him in curiously. "Where are the others?" She asked, looking around as if they would pop out of nowhere at any second.

"They are not here, Wench. When I found your scent in the air, I left ahead of them. They were too slow. We will probably be able to meet back up to them sometimes tomorrow."

She sighed in relief.

"Did you see Sesshomaru?" She suddenly remembered who had been missing since she had awoken.

As usual, InuYasha didn't react well at the name of his hated half-brother. He growled. "Why are you asking for that Bastard?! Was he also responsible for your kidnapping? When I get my hands on him…" he ended in closing his hands in tight fists.

Kagome flinched at the hostility easily detected in his voice. She couldn't comprehend it as she usually wouldn't pay any attention in the dispute between the two brothers and would let it slip away; but this time, this time she couldn't. Maybe it was because they shared so much together during their detention, but Kagome couldn't stop herself from defending the demon Lord. InuYasha was always finding a way to put every misery of the world on the shoulders of his elder brother and she had allowed him to do it. Sesshomaru had really wide shoulders, after all, but she couldn't let InuYasha accuse him this time.

"No, InuYasha, Sesshomaru didn't do anything! He was imprisoned with me. Can't you smell him, somewhere around here maybe?"

"Keh! If I could smell his stench, would I still be here? My claws would be ripping through his gut as we speak!" He said, flexing his fingers menacingly, his claws shinning in the sun. There was a strange and frightening glint in his golden eyes. She had never seen him look so evil, even when he spoke of Naraku or Sesshomaru in the past. Kagome shivered uncontrollably, unable to stop a grain of fear from uprising in her heart. Since the day of their meeting, never had she felt fear towards him, even in his youkai form, but now he seems so different.

"Ha! I can't believe he was captured too! You being caught, not so surprising, but him?! Ah, the all mighty pure blood, well not so mighty any more now is he!" InuYasha said, cracking up.

"InuYasha." Kagome said warningly.

Immediately his ears flatted on his head.

"I do not know how he was captured but they poisoned him severely. You would have been kidnapped too if they wanted you!"

"What?! Are you defending the Bastard?!" The hanyou yelled out at her face.

"No, I'm not. I'm just telling the truth." She said in a sigh.

Anger drained out of his form immediately when he finally remarked how exhausted she looked. "Feh! Are you sure you are alright, Kagome?" He said, looking her over again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"You could have said so Wench." InuYasha then squat in front of her, waiting for her to climb on his back. As soon as she was installed comfortably, he was off.

She gripped him as if he would disappear at any second. She didn't know how long or how much ground they had covered but as the sun was getting lower, the first drops of rain was falling. After a good curse, InuYasha changed direction and stopped in front of an old and abandoned hut. Letting her get down, the hanyou walked in; when he realized that she wasn't following him, he called out for her.

"Oi, Wench, get inside or you will end up sick!"

Kagome finally stepped in too. As soon as she passed the door, InuYasha grabbed her.

"EEEEP! Put me down!" She stopped her wailing when she realized that the half-demon had installed her on an old pallet, and blushed.

"Sorry." She whispered softy as she was getting more comfortable.

"Feh! Bothersome Wench!" The hanyou answered back without looking at her.

Sensing that it would be preferable to change the subject, Kagome spoke again.

"Say, InuYasha, how did you know that this hut was here and vacant?"

"I saw it on the way." He said after a moment.

Kagome cocked her head to the side, confused as to why he wasn't following the same way on the return trip to the others. After all, it took them a moment before getting to the hut. She shook it out as she watched the half-demon's back. He had been looking for something all this time, but what?

"What are you doing?" Kagome asked, tiredness finally taking a toll on her.

Cursing again, InuYasha finally grabbed a chair and destroyed it. Taking the wood shards he answered.

"What do you think? We have to make a fire or you will get sick. Humans are so weak and pathetic."

"Why didn't you just go look for wood outside instead of reduce furniture to firewood?"

"And let you out of my eyesight? Not a chance! You will get yourself kidnapped again as soon as my back is turned again!" He exclaimed.

"InuYasha." The hanyou recognized the warning and didn't continue, not wishing to get 'sit', even if it had been some time since the last.

Once the fire was going, InuYasha went to sit down beside her on the bedding.

"Now, Wench, you will tell me what happened." He said gruffly, crossing his arms.

As soon as the words had left his lips, images of what happened flow in front of her eyes. Unable to control herself, again, she threw herself at him, seeking some kind of comfort in feeling him close. She started to sob uncontrollably.

"It was horrible! We could not do anything… I could not do anything… They hurt him, InuYasha, so much, and they made me watch…and…"

"By Him, you mean Sesshomaru?" He asked gently, passing a comforting hand on her back as he held her.

"Yes." She let out in a whisper.

"I don't see the problem here!"

Shocked, Kagome tried to get away from InuYasha, hitting him when he didn't release his hold. "How can you say that? He is your brother."

"Feh! If the place were reversed, do you think he would worry about me? No, he would laugh his ass off!" He said, growling.

She calmed down visibly and stopped fighting him. After a moment, she talked. "I don't think you are right though. Well, he would not be sad but… it wasn't a fight or anything of the sort. It was just plain torture. No one deserves that, not even him."

"Keh! You and your big heart!" He said huffing. "And then?" He asked cautiously in his own way.

"Naraku…he hurt me…" Kagome closed her eyes tightly and swallowed loudly. She didn't want to talk about it at all. It was still too fresh in her mind.

InuYasha, sensing it, pushed her away slowly and put his hands gently on each of her cheeks.

"Kagome." He said so gently that it shook Kagome out of her agonizing memories. Her eyes snapped opened and was shocked to find InuYasha's face so closed to her own.

"Kagome, everything will be alright. You are safe now. You do trust me, right?"

Mutely, the young woman nodded. She was surprised by how the hanyou was acting. His clawed thumb rubbed back and forth on her bottom lip, watching her reaction. He then bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. He looked at her to see if she would let him continue or not but Kagome seemed too shocked to be able to react in any way.

Slowly as to not frighten her, InuYasha pushed her gently on her back. As soon as her back touched the hard futon, Kagome snapped out of her shock evoked-trance.

"Inu…InuYasha…?" She asked uncertainly as the hanyou covered her body with his.

"Shhh. It's ok. I just thought…I thought I lost you and it frightened me." He confessed.

Still unsure of what was going on, she couldn't prevent her eyes from softening at his admission. InuYasha leaned forward and kissed her again. When she didn't push him away, the half-demon bent lower and nuzzled her neck gently, hiding at the same time his growing smirk.

He then started to kiss her along her neck, grazing from time to time her sensible skin with his fangs. She stayed unmoving under him so he didn't stop. However, when one of his hands fell on her thigh, she tensed up. She blocked the progress on her leg with her hand gripping a hold of his wrist.

She then felt his hot breath against her ear.

"I know what you feel for me, Kagome. Don't try to deny it."

He then continued his advances, ignoring her attempt to stop him.

"InuYasha, no…"

"Just relax." He whispered against her skin. He then resumed his ministrations.

Kagome pushed the hanyou back with all her might. At first, she didn't react, too stunned. But now, she was starting too severely panic. She could not comprehend it. Her friend was not acting like himself at all and it was frightening her. Sometime ago, she would have given everything to have InuYasha mark her; to choose her over the undead Miko but now… now it was too much, too quick. That and she could not forget that when she had been kidnapped, the half-demon was who knows where, doing who knows what with Kikyo. The young Miko repetitively hit the hanyou on his sides to make him release her. She was truly scared now.

Reluctantly, sighing, InuYasha abandoned her neck after one last sensuous lick and looked down at her. However, his hands did not budge from their position on her body and were still; with the help of his weigh on top of her, pinning her on the pallet. She was shaking underneath him, he could tell. At first, she was telling him again and again to stop and release her. But now, she was just whimpering pitifully.

"Why are you stopping me now, Wench? Was it not what you have always wished for?"

He then scooped down and tried to kiss her, but the young woman turned her head away. This time, InuYasha let loose a growl of frustration.

"Why are you fighting me, Wench? I thought that you loved me! You do love me, right? You weren't playing with me, right?" He eyed her critically.

She looked up at him with eyes wide opened. "I…" Kagome started to say but stopped, not knowing what to answer. Her breathing was erratic. Her heart was beating savagely in her ribcage, making it almost painful to breathe.

Not waiting for her answer, InuYasha continued.

"Then why won't you let me show you my feelings for you?" He asked, clearly frustrated.

Kagome avoided his piercing golden eyes which were making her more uneasy as the time was ticking by.

She turned away again but she could have sworn that she saw his eyes flashed deep red a second. The hanyou was really angry. Kagome whimpered again. She swallowed and tried to calm down her friend who didn't seem to be him self today.

"I'm just tired. I want to go home." She said softly. She hoped that after the night, the half-demon will be back to his normal self. She could only hope…or maybe the others will be there by morning. She just has to resist until then.

"Home?! We aren't really close to the village, you know? And we still have not met up with the others; without taking into account that the night is at the door."

Something he said drew the attention of Kagome. Something he hadn't said or didn't express as he would usually have done. Something was off.

Her breathe caught in her throat as she realized that it was not the first time. She then tried to check her suspicions.

"I really miss my mother, my grand-father and my little sister, Soutan, InuYasha; they must be really worried about me." She tried to act calm but it was difficult. Her trap was planted. Now she just had to await the result. She didn't have to wait for long.

"Feh, you will see them soon. But for now, let me show you my feelings for you, please. You were almost lost to me. I realize that time could be against us. One of us could be dead tomorrow. I don't want to have regrets and to lose any more time on the past. It is time to live in the present. I realize that I made a lot of errors and hurt you much. I want to have a new fresh start. Will you let me show you?"

The prey had fallen into the trap without even realizing it. Kagome's eyes narrowed while her anger blazed. "You will not show me anything…

Naraku." She spat out.

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End of the chapter 19.


	20. Chapter 20

After a long absence, I'm finally back ! ^^

And I apologize.

I have been really busy and then I was ill. (I sincerely apologize to Momo and the person I was supposed to write a story for in the Dokuga Exchange, as I was able to give it to MomoDesu only too late to be able to participate to the challenge. I still sent it to her and proposed to write a whole story for the person that had been wronged by my absence in a way to say sorry but I had no answer yet. If she is angry I can't really blame her.) I'm almost totally back on my feet and I must say that passing Christmas' Eve in a hospital is something I don't want to ever experience again. _

Anyways, even if there are still some problems, I'm back home and ready to write! *grin*

I thank Pandora-of-the-South for her beta work on this new chapter!

WARNING: this chapter might hurt the sensibility of some people. Until now, I never wrote about what Naraku was doing but this time it was necessary. (and I hope that I will never have to write something like that again because it was really difficult). Yes, it is torture. You can wait for the next chapter to avoid reading this if you don't like it. I will make sure that you will be able to understand what happened without reading this chapter. The Mature rating of this story is justified so you know what is ahead.

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

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_Previously, in the chapter __19:_

_She tried to act calm but it was difficult. Her trap was planted. Now she just had to await the result. She didn't have to wait for long._

"_Feh, you will see them soon. But for now, let me show you my feelings for you, please. You were almost lost to me. I realize that time could be against us. One of us could be dead tomorrow. I don't want to have regrets and to lose any more time on the past. It is time to live in the present. I realize that I made a lot of errors and hurt you much. I want to have a new fresh start. Will you let me show you?"_

_The prey had fallen into the trap without even realizing it. Kagome's eyes narrowed while her anger blazed. "You will not show me anything…_

_Naraku." She spat out._

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Chapter 20

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Kagome was glaring towards 'InuYasha' with all her might. Internally, she was berating herself for having believed and fallen so easily into the trap of the devious spider hanyou. She had been so overjoyed; the happiness of liberty recovered was still twinkling all over her senses.

But everything had been false.

How could she have been so blind? She had not really questioned her sudden freedom. When she realized that she was out and that Sesshomaru was nowhere in sight, she had assumed that maybe the demon Lord had found a way out for them and had left her in the clearing to find her way to her friends by herself.

It would not have been so surprising for Sesshomaru to abandon her behind, even if her heart had fallen then. But at least, he had made sure that she was safe and that someone would find her quickly. She would not admit it out loud but she had found herself growing accustomed to the silent companionship she had found in the DaiYoukai and most assuredly would miss his presence later on.

Oh, she wasn't kidding herself in thinking that, maybe, he was feeling the same way about her, but even if it was one-sided, she thought of the Lord of the West as a friend. She knew that she must have probably driven the male crazy with her constant thatching about anything and everything that could came across her little mind, but Sesshomaru had just been too polite to tell her to shut up.

Kagome was sure that, without his ever constant presence, she would have already gone truly crazy and have a massive breakdown. Even if he rarely ever answered her, she had someone to talk to and never felt alone with him simply there. But most importantly, she was staying strong _because_ he was there. She did not know why she felt like she had to prove herself in the demon Lord's eyes but it was as if she had to show that she was more than just a pathetic human. Even as she thought she was finally free, she did feel a twinge of sadness because it had meant that her 'friendship' with Sesshomaru had probably came to an end as well. After all, they agreed that, once outside, everything would go back to normal; she had even been the one to say that what happened in the cell would stay in the cell. Though she had been glad to see what she thought was InuYasha, she was sad for the loss of Sesshomaru presence.

But everything was just a big fat lie anyways.

As her eyes came back to focus, her vision fixed on 'InuYasha' who was still hovering over her. She watched as a familiar, but unfamiliar to the dog-eared hanyou, smirk grew on his lips. She glared angrily at the despicable dark hanyou. Naraku would pay dearly for this. She didn't know how he succeeded in creating this almost unfaultable illusion, when she had always been able to tell the difference in his previous schemes, but right now she didn't care. When she is free, because she will be, she will make him pay dearly, even if it is the last thing she does.

Little by little, an invisible wind rose around them and slowly, the old hut in the background disappeared to be replaced by the cold moist walls of the cell, leaving only the out of place 'InuYasha' still smirking cruelly in front of her. Then, not really all that different from the night of the new moon, his hair turned black. However, at the last moment, his face metamorphosed into that of the dark hanyou with his shinning red eyes.

"You are stronger than your frail body let appears to be, my little Miko. I'm curious to know what made you realize that it was an illusion though. It was supposed to be perfect." Naraku stated while his real face started to appear.

He turned his head to the side and Kagome followed his line of sight. There, to the side, she saw an old woman appear, seemingly out of nowhere. As soon as the last trace of the illusion disappeared, the globe she was keeping in her hands exploded. She watched incredulous as the pieces fell from her trembling hands. No one had even been able to escape her world of illusions spell so easily, ever. The spell had been made correctly so it shouldn't have happened.

Sensing that the question was directed to her, in a croak voice, the old woman answered, rising to all her height.

"The illusion had no fault. All the information you gave me had been enclosed in my globe without fail. The blame doesn't lie on my spell as it was the strongest to exist for illusions."

She was implying without saying it that he was the one responsible because he gave her 'faulty' information. And she realized that it was risky. After all, the amount of people who have aided the dark hanyou in his previous plots and lived to talk about it weren't that many. Not wanting to end up dead, she added:

"I apologize to not having been able to satisfy completely your request." She said quietly, bowing.

Naraku didn't answer and to her surprised, sent her a pouch containing her payment.

"I'm sure that you will remember that what you saw and heard here is not for any other ears?"

"Of course! If you are ever in need of my services again, you know where to find me. It would be an honor to serve you again, Naraku."

"I will keep that in mind, witch."

With that said one of the ugly stepped into the room, bound the old witch's eyes and led her outside. Not once did the old woman glance at Kagome, strapped and chained to the table just a few feet in front of her. She didn't even bother and didn't seem to mind the dirty work that she had been confided with. She even seemed rather used to it.

When he was sure that the old woman was out of hearing-range, he turned back the young miko.

"Well, my little miko, it is just you and me now."

He walked towards the table in the corner and came back with a knife. He smiled at her while playing with it. He could see that she was terrified of him, even if she was trying to hide it behind a furious glare and courageous front. It was just all the better for him. Her defiance was really exalting.

"If you would just accept your fate, you would save yourself from experiencing such pain." He said calmly, while the knife ran over her skin, following the outline of her face and jaw, towards her neck and shoulder, without drawing blood.

"Never!" She answered; her voice trembling at the idea of what she knew was to happen soon. In her mind she was repeating again and again that she was strong, she will never bend to his wishes, she will never let him touch her even if she must die and suffer. Her mind went to the demon Lord that was waiting for her back there, in their cell. He would never bend to Naraku's will and she will prove that she could be just as strong too.

Naraku narrowed his eyes and pushed more on the blade, breaking the skin and opening a large cut on her upper arm. Kagome bit her bottom lip to prevent a scream from escaping her. It hurt, it hurt so much, but she refused to give any of the pleasure to the dark hanyou by hearing her screams.

When the pain was back under control, she was left panting.

"I will never let you lay one of your filthy fingers on me in such a manner, never."

She could feel the aura radiating off Naraku, letting her know once again the coward had sent a mere puppet; it continued to whirl around him in his anger then settle down. His anger was always explosive and to settle down so easily made her weary. This was new and it wasn't good for her, she was sure of it.

She watched as he went over to a bowl and uncovered it. The scent escaping from it was atrocious, even for the young miko 'weaker' sense of smell, and Kagome was frightened by what it could contain that would please the hanyou so much that he didn't even respond verbally after her last comment.

Naraku soaked the blade of the knife in the strange liquid, a devious smirk growing back on his lips.

"Do you know what this is?" He asked while walking back to her side. "It is one of the favored concoctions of the previous Northern Lord as well as one of the many fabulous secrets the clan in charge of this place have. It is really something remarkable, and I would have loved to be the one to invent it. The exact name of this mixture isn't important but I love its nickname… the 'scream extractor'. Beautiful name, isn't it?"

That wasn't exactly what was going through Kagome's mind right at the moment. She was truly scared and really didn't wish to know how the atrocious liquid gained its nickname at all. She was more than scared and once again praying that it would end quickly. Her arm was throbbing as it was and she didn't want to feel more pain. Moreover, she was having to fight with her powers; every time they began to rise they caused her more pain due to the activated collar around her neck; which absorbed her powers painfully.

Naraku continued to play with her, letting the blade of the knife caress her skin without breaking it, truly pleased with the rising fear he could sense from the woman. Really, if he had more time on his hands, he would love nothing more than to be able to torture her again and again to no end; but at some point he will have to break her or everything would have been in vain.

As the blade that was covered in the putrid mixture ran along her skin, it left a strange sensation behind. The terrified woman's attention instantly went back to the hovering hanyou who started to speak again.

"When in contact with unmarred skin, this concoction leaves a tingling curious sensation, nothing extraordinary. However, when it come in contact with an open wound…" Naraku said while doing it. "…that's from where it gained its little nickname." He finished, smiling darkly.

As soon as the knife which was covered with the mixture touched her freshly wounded arm, Kagome screamed like she never had before. The sensation was horrible and she couldn't contain her screams anymore. It felt like her arm was literally burning; even when he slit her thigh open with a red hot blade, the pain had been no were as powerful as it was now. She was thrashing around, not bothering to cover her screams anymore. If she could move she would be clawing at her arm to try to get ride to this sensation. It didn't fell like her skin was burning, rather as if her very bone was burning from the inside out.

The dark hanyou seemed satisfied and moved the blade away. The burning sensation stayed a moment then slowly calmed. Kagome was crying, tears running down her cheeks like torrents. The cut-muscle of her arm was twitching uncontrollably. Her throat was already sore from screaming and she was breathing erratically.

"Your pain-filled voice is like a sweet melody to my ears." Naraku said, visibly delighted by the reaction of the young miko to the mixture.

"You know that with just one phrase from your mouth, the pain will stop. If you please me, I may even give you pleasure that your body has never experience. You just have to say one little sentence and your nightmare will end."

"N…N-Never…" She said shakily. She didn't know how long she would be able to resist this time. She was truthfully praying to fall unconscious soon because she didn't think she would be able to support it.

"You will be mine, little miko. MY little miko and the sooner you come to term with the fact that there is no other way out, the better it will be for you."

"N…no." She said, glaring at him.

His smile twisted. "As you wish." With that said, the knife came down, cutting the fragile flesh of her thighs, arms, stomach, repetitively. He was making her pay for refusing him again. Never was the cut deep enough to be life threatening but still deep enough to give enormous amount of pain.

Kagome screamed. First came the pain of the cuts in themselves, then the excruciating pain of the mixture on the blade and finally, unable to the control them any longer, her powers begun to rise to protect her against the poison of the concoction. As forcefully and violently as her powers rose, the collar absorbed them, and the young miko got a shock each time, only adding to her already unbearable pain. She lost count of the number of times the knife came down and after what felt like an interminable time, she finally lost consciousness, accepting it with opened arms.

Naraku looked on, satisfied of his work. Her being strapped to the table, her clothes a distant souvenir, her skin cut everywhere and her blood running along her body, dripping on the ground… it was just the most arousing sight he had seen in a long time, if ever. He didn't know if he could hold back this time. His tented hakama was proof enough. She will have to accept her fate or be broken today; he had played long enough with her. Now it was time to harvest the fruit of his hard work.

The dark hanyou walked out for a moment, only to come back with one of the ugly youkai carrying a bucket of water. The servitor could clearly smell the heavy arousal of his Lord floating in the air and he must admit that he understood why when his eyes fell on the half-naked bloody woman in the center of the room.

Kagome regained consciousness, letting out a strangled yelp when the cold water came crashing down on her.

"Time to get back to business." Naraku said smiling.

Whatever the dark hanyou had in mind after all of what has just happened, certainly wasn't what he got. He was hoping to find an almost broken woman, wanting nothing more than to stop the pain, but it had just been a sweet dream on his part. As soon as she realized where she was and felt the pain reappear, Kagome glared viciously towards Naraku, saying clearly that he had failed and will never win this way.

Naraku was really getting impatient, the fantasy of her legs wrapping around his waist and the sensation he would feel to have his hard flesh surrounded by her hot core as he pounded again and again in her supple body was burning behind his eyes and was too much to bear anymore. Plus, the thought of her mismatched group, which had started travelling for a moment towards her direction, was getting on his last nerves. He knows that he must keep his temper in check or he could kill her, but he has been trying for days and was still no closer to having her spread her legs for him than he was at the beginning, which infuriated him to no end. Even if she had never been weak of mind, he knew that through their previous encounters and his spying through Kanna's mirror, that she had never been this strong. Something has changed and he couldn't fathom what could be keeping her so resistant after everything that has been done to her, physically and mentally.

Then he got an idea and tried a different technique.

He remembers she is very protective of her friends; he has spent enough days just observing the group at work to know that, so he decided to use that against her.

After taunting her about what could have happened between her so called 'protector' and the undead miko while she was being abducted and delivered to his door, he then hinted that the protection that she had been gifted with at birth was only a miko trait. He talked in details of what had been done to several women already and what he will do to the slayer if she still refused to submit to his wishes. At the horrified expression on her face, Naraku knew that he had found a weak spot in her armor.

He talked at length of what he would do to Sango if she refused him yet again today. He talked about how he would rape her friend again and again everyday, until she lost her mind in despair. If that wasn't bad enough, he was sure to let his servants and collaborators have their turn with the slayer. He had little hope but if any child were to be created from her in the assaults on her body, he would let it grow long enough in her womb to begin forming and then it would be extracted and left to die in front of the woman's eyes. He continued like that, as he saw tears running down Kagome's cheeks and sobs rake her body. He knew that he was closer to breaking her than he had ever been and the look in her eyes when he told her what he would do to her little kitsune child if she was to refuse again was sending delightful shivers down his spine.

Kagome was just a shivering crying mess. She was asking him to stop again and again but he refused to listen. The dark hanyou wanted to laugh. He could feel the victory so close that he could almost taste it.

He then promised her that he will leave all her friends alone if she would just accept to carry his child. Kagome was shaking her head from side to side, trying to get rid of the gruesome images that the words from Naraku had conjured. He said he would leave her friends alone. He promised that he will leave **all** of them alone… an image of a silver-haired male came in her mind and she just sobbed more violently. She was screaming in her mind how much she was sorry, sorry to not be strong enough…sorry to not protect them as she should…sorry of how inadequate she felt and had secretly always felt in this era.

She then whispered something. Naraku bent down to have his ear closer of her mouth… and that's when his hope crashed. With a simple little word, the raging fury boiled the blood of the dark hanyou.

No. She had said no. After everything he had said, she still said no.

Naraku backhanded her, snapping her head to the other side. She then faced him, cheeks throbbing and glaring tearful-eyes; she then did what sent the dark hanyou over the edge: she spit in his face.

He screamed, furious. Immediately, the yellowish ugly youkai from before came back followed by the leader. With quick instructions from Naraku, the straps on Kagome's legs were taken off. Then, the table seemed to disappear, sinking to the ground by some kind of mechanism activated by the youkai. Violently, Kagome found herself suspended by her wrists, her feet just barely touching the ground to support most of her weight. Her legs were shaking. A cry escaped involuntarily from her lips when she felt the lacerations that she had all over her body, which had just stopped bleeding during Naraku's mind game, literally pop open again.

Now Naraku was really serious. He nodded his head to the leader who made the same 'fume and power play' he had done in front of Sesshomaru to make his whip appear. The third ugly youkai walked out, leaving Kagome at the hands of Naraku and the leader.

The dark hanyou told her that he was finished playing with her and that he wasn't finding her stubbornness and refusal to answer favorably at his demand amusing anymore. The leader walked behind the suspended and chained Kagome, a cruel smile breaking on his hideous face, waiting for his orders.

Naraku asked one last time if she didn't want to change her answer and accept her fate. Kagome was even more frightened because she couldn't see what was happening behind her, she knew however that she could only give the same answer. She could not give the world to Naraku on a silver platter. Beyond being the only one able to purify the Shikon Jewel, it had been made clear some times ago that only spiritual powers would be able to definitely eradicate the dark hanyou from this world. If she was to accept, not only would the jewel be as good as his but nothing would be able to destroy him because he would be immune to purifying powers as soon as he absorbed the child. Even if his heart were to be placed back in his body, it wasn't proven that just brute strength and youkai powers could kill him. The dark hanyou seems to always find a loop hole. Only holy powers would be able to kill him once and for all. If she were to say yes to save herself from the pain, she would doom the world. Even with the fear of the pain to come, the fear of what could happen to her friends, she could not answer anything else but no.

As the whip fell on the tender skin of her back ripping her skin open, coupled with the sensation of this horrible poisonous mixture that seems to have been placed on the whip and the shock she was getting from the collar each time the whip impacted her back, Kagome realized that she wasn't sure she would be able to keep all the consequences of her decisions in mind and refuse him for much longer…

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Well, that's it for the chapter 20. I really don't like to write about torture! *shiver*

I'm not sure that it was that great but I had to write about it at least once and this one time was important. Tell me what you think!

Reviews' answers:

Wow, it had been age since I answered any review! -_-'

**GeorgieGirl999**: see, this time your name came first! Lol Usually I answer the review in the same order that they arrived but I made an exception this time! ;P thanks for your review.

**Leshaya : **thank you so much for your kind words. You must hate me now because of the long wait! Yet, I hope that you liked this new chapter! Thanks for reviewing.

**Jeweled Fairy **: Hey ! Thanks again for your review and your faithful support ! When I'm down I just have to read one of your messages and I'm back up to write one more chapter! ^^ You are truly a jewel.

**. **: sorry for the cliffy and even more to have let it that way for so long ! Still, thank you for your review.

**Black Light Brightness **: LOL. Well, I'm giving you a virtual cookie to have guessed who was really 'InuYasha' ! ;P As for him been killed soon…can't tell, sorry! *grin* thanks for the review.

**1kenshinlover** : A virtual cookie for you too ! lol Thanks for the review. Yeh, he, as you put it, more or less shoot his own foot, but he had always something else up in his sleeve…

**Niaka1 :** Yes poor Kagome. And it was not finish…*sigh* thanks for the review !

**SheWhoDreamsofSilverAndGold** : Well, it was just an illusion ! sadly. Hope that you liked this new chapter as you had the previous one!

**honey-senpai** : I love the 'in heat' plot too but not this time. ^^ And yes, the freedom is really close… thanks for the review and you are welcome!

**pandora-of-the-south** : *grin* well, what can I say ? thanks for reviewing and beta-ing this story too! :D

**kouga's older woman** : thanks God he had been caught in his farce right ? I don't like to imagine what could have happened if not. *shudder* thank you for your review, like always! ^^

**REDWOLF47**: LOL really good one! Thanks for the review.

**JenJen Midnightgirl:** virtual cookie for you to have guessed that something was wrong with 'InuYasha'! lol I'm so glad that you liked that chapter and hope that you liked this one! ^^

**ame33087** : Happy that you liked it ! :) And as you had guessed he wasn't too happy to not have succeeded in his scheme. Thanks for reviewing!

**BlackDog616 :** thank you so much for your review and kind words. I'm so glad that you like this story! As for your question about Rin and Jaken, yes, they are in this story and, "your wish are my order", they will be in the next chapter! *grin* thanks again.

**my name is paper YAH:** Glad that you like it! ^^

**JadeDreamWolf:** Your support really warms my heart! Thank you so much!

**Sugar0o**** :** I'm a huge fan of your works so it is always so, I don't even know how to put it, I'm so glad that you like this story !* ^^ * Yes, I always thought that Miroku was really wise and a great observatory, putting aside his perverted side. And I have decided that this time Sango won't be the one everyone think is, at all the time. She isn't perfect and well, no one is really (even if Sesshomaru is pretty damn close to! *droll* lol) Plus she had a background too that can sometimes condition her reaction. After all, she was the only woman fighter, the daughter of the chef, so, as any girl, to not be the sole center of attention of the person you care about (even if you don't want to admit it outloud) can make you act stupidly. She had a strong will, as a fighter, but I wanted to make her more 'unsure' when it concerned her more "woman's side". Don't know if I'm clear…but I thank you for your review! Oh and Sango and Miroku are coming back in the next chapter! :D

**sunshineemomix** : pretty good summary! Love your review! LOL

**SakuraEmma29 :** damn right he needs it ! and Hope he will have it soon! :P thanks for reviewing.

**RavensTears00 ****:** thank you so much.

**Sesshoumarulover21 ****:** I thank you so much for your support and kind words.

Thanks to : **Tsukiyomi No Miko, crazikido2, kitsune2477, panchat, Itachisgirl88, Sesshomaru-lover-forevr, allyct160, ****babyfairy****, ****lunaticneko****, ****, loveless, sunset in love****, ****Alpine****, ****stars****, ****darkflame ****, Lina, maddie50,** for their review too.


	21. Chapter 21 : It Hurt

Hey!

Here is the chapter 21. Hope you will like it!

Thanks to all of you who had reviewed! I was so glad when I read them that I decided to write a new chapter immediatly! *grin*

Some asked what happened to Jaken and Rin and all so here is a glips of the answer. :)

Thanks again to Pandora-of-the-South for her beta-work, as excellent as always, on this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

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Chapter 21:

It hurt

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_Western Palace…_

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"Get out of my way!" screamed the little toad demon as he was running through the corridors.

Just in time, the servant jumped to the side, avoiding a collision with the short grumping green toad. Jaken could hardly see above the scrolls he was carrying hastily towards his Lord's office, making it even more difficult for the kappa to run without incident.

His dear Lord had gone missing for almost two weeks and his office was already looking like a battlefield, with documents piling up everywhere.

He turned another corner and was almost at the door. Even in the absence of Sesshomaru, guards were posted at strategic places over the palace's ground. There was, at least, one guard positioned by the office door at all the times, stopping anyone who would be suicidal enough to come here to snoop around his Lord's belongings.

The guard, an Inu Youkai, slide the screen door open when he saw the toad bobbing towards him. Well, to be honest, he heard him before even seeing him. The little youkai was always so noisy; it was a wonder how someone of Sesshomaru's character and sense of hearing could support having him around without getting headaches or worst.

Jaken walked in and put down the scrolls. Half of the room's floor had papers of all genres strewed all over. Even he had difficulty finding a place to even walk. His Lord was already behind in his paper work when it happened but now, it was becoming ridiculous. No one had the authorization to break the seals and read any of the reports, from the spies, the soldiers on the field, the documents of the different villages under the protection of the Lord of the West, the messages of any members of his clan, or correspondences from various important nobles throughout Japan. Even some letters were coming from the mainland. All in all it was a lot of papers and only Sesshomaru could read them.

"I hope sincerely that nothing has happened to Sesshomaru-sama and that he will contact us soon." The guard said by the door.

Now, if it had been anyone else, Jaken would have snapped at his words, saying something in the same lines that it was an insult to their great Lord to presume that he could be hurt in anyway by anyone, but the little toad didn't. Mostly because that Inu wasn't just a simple guard but a member of the illustrious clan and family of his Lord, sharing the same royal blood, and secondly because he knew that it was just genuine concern.

"I don't know. Lord Sesshomaru had just gone to hunt and didn't come back." The old age seemed to have caught up with the kappa youkai. "Even Rin is starting to mop around." He mumbled quietly as if an afterthought. Then, he immediately straightened up as if not a single word of doubt had even passed his beck. "But Sesshomaru-sama is invincible! Something must have caught his attention and he had to investigate. He just doesn't have the time to inform his faithful servants yet, that's all. He will come back soon."

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama will be back soon. I can already see his expression when he sees all the work that is waiting for his return." The guard answered a new light twinkling in his golden eyes.

Jaken coughed to stop himself from chuckling, knowing really well the strong dislike, for better words, of their Lord in regards towards paperwork.

That was when he heard in the distance the familiar scream "_Master Jaken_!"

"Blasted human child! Why, oh why my Lord, are you keeping her around?" grumbled the Kappa, before running in the direction of the scream.

The Inu watched Jaken leaving, shaking his head and chuckling openly. He too was curious of the reasons as to why Sesshomaru was keeping a weak human child with him; even though he didn't particularly care for humans, the Inu guard had to admit that it was entertaining to watch the quirks of the girl at work. Maybe there wasn't any more profound reason behind her presence than that.

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_Border of the Northern Lands, in the forest…_

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The night had fallen in the forest. The two individuals were silent, watching the dancing flames of the camp fire.

Sango could not bring herself to speak. From time to time, she would send glances towards the monk who had sat himself on the opposite side of the fire. The demon slayer bit down on her bottom lip wondering. Miroku always sat by her side, as close as he could, hoping for an opportunity to grope her, not tonight however.

She knew that she must have hurt the young monk's feelings by almost believing so easily the lies of Kikyo and, to be honest, she could not blame him. He was just worried for their friend's life and she accused him of having a relationship of some kind beyond friendship with the young Miko behind everyone's back. If she had been in his position, she would have reacted more strongly still. What she did was unforgivable.

She, who was always openly criticizing InuYasha for believing every words coming from the mouth of the undead Miko, had done the same thing at the first rising occasion without even questioning it.

She hadn't been able to help herself. She too had remarked the growing relationship between Miroku and Kagome. She even knew that the young Miko had confided some things to Miroku that Kagome had not told anyone else, herself included. She was sure that there were some secrets that they were hiding from her, it was evident enough.

Frankly, she was a little hurt because the two of them were passing more time together than with her. She felt sometimes put out.

She knew that she was being stupid. The relationship between the two had evolve in a deep friendship because of the hours passed with Kagome's training, but still, Sango couldn't stop herself from doubting Miroku's intentions.

It was even more stupid when you thought that way because it was Kagome that was helping her and Miroku to get together. Sango thought that, maybe, her comportment around Miroku could be because of her insecurity. She was always keeping her distances with the monk and in his own perverted way; Miroku was trying to come closer to Sango.

In fact, she had been really surprised by the persistence of the Monk. With her always keeping him away, it was a miracle that he was still interested in her at all. Kagome once said that he was still asking some village girls to bear his child because it was only in this kind of situations that she would truly pay any kind of attention to him. However, it was not helping her insecurity but it was the only way Miroku had thought to go about getting her attention.

If she was honest with herself, she would say that she wasn't all that surprised by the strong friendship that had grow between the two. From their entire group, and possibly from everyone in this era, maybe excluding Kaede, Miroku was the only one who understood Kagome the most. When he couldn't because of some futuristic concepts, he still held a mind opened enough to accept it.

Sango would love to say that she was close, but besides their usual girl talks, Kagome had more in common with the Monk. Sango could not understand Kagome's way of thinking on several aspects, about various things, in particularly when it concerned youkai.

In her opinion, Kagome was too naïve. In her friend's mind, high class youkai couldn't be reduced to just brutal unfeeling beast. Sango thought her wrong; no, she knew that Kagome was wrong. She could accept InuYasha because he was half-human but that was pretty much all.

She couldn't understand how Kagome could stand to be around Kouga, the wolf prince, knowing that not long ago, he and his tribe were eating humans! Even if he said that he wasn't doing so anymore, Sango could not find it in herself to believe him at all. He cannot have change like that because one day he supposedly decided that he loved a human. He can't because he cannot change what he truly was. And the fact was that he was a demon, an animal, a monster.

In general, no one can really change his nature or character. That was partially why she had so much difficulty in being able to believe in the words that Miroku spoke.

The wolf demon affirmed that he loved Kagome and that he won't hurt any more humans because the woman he was in love with was human; that, Sango certainly had doubts about. As said before, demons are beasts in disguise and to say that they could have human feelings like love was grotesque in her opinion. They might be able to feel some kind of attachment, like any animal could in particular conditions, but certainly not love.

She was sure that InuYasha could feel it only because of his part of humanity. She had observed the little fox kid, Shippo. He had seen lots of fights and atrocious death but beside the fear of being killed, the young kitsune didn't seem troubled by any of those gory sights when any human child would have been surely traumatized. She could understand that, since he had already seen so much, he was less touched in this kind of situation but it was just too much.

Kagome had once said that Shippo was probably way older than what they thought but Sango did not find it enough of an explanation. Oh, she had nothing against the young kitsune. She could say that she liked him too, but to treat him as you would a human child was an error.

The young Miko don't see the border between the species and was treating everyone equally. She's even ready to give a second chance to any demon that had done wrong, a fatal mistake in Sango's book. She has given Kouga a second chance and believes in his promises, even though he had acted that way for maybe centuries! Who says that, even if for a time he acts civilly, he won't start hunting humans again once Kagome isn't around anymore?

Sango has experience in dealing with demons and she couldn't be fooled as easily as Kagome. What was bothering her was that Miroku wasn't stopping the young naïve miko or showing her that she was in the wrong. She couldn't understand why he was encouraging her in the wrong path by his silence.

In fact, one of the worst discordance that had ever happened between her miko friend and her was about Sesshomaru, the heartless full blooded youkai, half-brother of InuYasha and current demon Lord of the West.

She had heard a lot of stories about that particular DaiYoukai in her childhood and had seen his cruelty with her own eyes now, while dealing with his own bloodline. She couldn't understand Kagome's point of view. The young Miko was so naïve that it was hurtful and Sango was glad that she was there for her lost friend or she would have been killed already, trusting too easily anyone and anything.

The demon slayer was, for once, of the same opinion as InuYasha was about his half-brother : Sesshomaru was just an homicidal cold and heartless brute. She couldn't even imagine what Kagome could see, and Miroku at some extend, that made her think that there was more than meets the eye in Sesshomaru. Maybe she was wrong, but until she was proven differently, she won't believe it. The fact that InuYasha, a 'simple hanyou' was still breathing and the little human girl that was conscious enough to trail after the demon Lord wasn't proof enough. It could just point out that he was only playing around.

Sango chanced another glance towards the young monk. She couldn't help but beg the question where they were going. When she had caught up with Miroku, he was walking in a direction, but as soon as they had been at a certain distance from Kikyo and InuYasha, the monk had brutally changed and started to walk towards the North. It had been precisely the way they were walking just before they had crossed paths with the undead miko who had appeared seemly out of nowhere and made them change direction.

"Houshi-sama?" Sango said, gathering her courage.

"Hm?" He answered while his eyes stayed fixated on the flames of their camp fire.

"Do you really think that Kikyo is working for Naraku?" She asked timidly.

Miroku finally looked up at her before giving his response. "I can't affirm it without real proof Sango but what I can say is that Kikyo-sama had stayed in Naraku's presence recently, and long enough for his miasma to taint her aura. Though, I don't know how to explain it."

"What do you mean?" _How can someone have their aura tainted by only being in their presence? _She thought, confused. "He isn't just possessing her or something?" She said, not seeing any other way how the undead miko's aura could be tainted by someone else's aura. Kikyo didn't seem ill so she wasn't poisoned like she had been in the past by Naraku's miasma.

"No, it isn't a case of possession. As for the taint, well, during my previous travels, I have encountered holy people who had their auras tainted because they have deviated from the right path and decided that helping others where second to helping themselves and their quest of power. Their auras became darker when they take innocent lives or if they had done things which are against the precepts of the Shinto's or Buddha's teaching. However, never before did I see one's holy aura tainted by someone else like that. It is difficult to explain but in Kikyo-sama's aura, I could see traces of Naraku's own aura. The quantity might not have been enough to modify her current scent enough for InuYasha's nose to detect it but for anyone with a decent ability to see and read aura as myself, it is difficult to not remark it. Even more because I know that some months ago, that 'taint' wasn't there."

They fell into silence. The demon slayer's mind was spinning with the possibilities.

"Do you have any idea of how it could have come to this state?"

Miroku sighed, shaking sadly his head. "No. I know that she must have been in his presence for long periods of time but even close proximity cannot explain this. It would have been needed for them to blend their respective auras or something equivalent to succeed at tainting her aura and soul by his miasma and not just a simple darkness from her ill-actions since her resurrection."

Sango hesitated a moment. "Why didn't you say something before?"

The young monk looked back towards the fire. "I couldn't explain what I could read in her aura and I still can't. I didn't want for my…hard feelings towards Kikyo-sama to interfere so I decided to observe her actions to try to understand her motivation."

Another silence fell heavily around the camp fire. Sango bit her bottom lip, hesitating anew. She didn't know if she should talk or not. But after a couple of minutes, she couldn't stay silent any longer.

"Miroku-sama? I-I'm sorry to have doubted…"

"Hm. Could we just forget it?" He said, standing up. "I will go gather more firewood. Stay close to the fire. It shouldn't be too long before Kirara comes back from her hunt."

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Miroku stood and walked in the woods just out of eyes sight of the camp fire but still close enough to hear if something goes wrong, and sat down on an old died tree root. He needed some time alone. He knew that the demon slayer did not mean to hurt him in any way but it had.

It does, each time she doubts his sincerity towards her. But this time, it was worst. This time around, she had done more than just distrust him.

How could she have believed in the blatant lies of the undead miko Kikyo so easily? How could she believe for even one second that he would betray her like that? That time, she had not only wrongly accused him but Kagome as well.

His thought then turned to their missing friend. He won't lie and say that he doesn't feel a strong link, a friendship as he had never had with anyone before. He did not have to act while around her and at the same time, it was pleasant to be able to discuss different topics with someone that was as cultivated as him. Well, to be honest, the young miko was, in several domains, more advanced than he could ever dream of. After all, the young woman had the advantage of being born and raised 500 years in the future. So it was really stimulating to be able to converse with her and he knew that the young miko felt the same way.

Once, he told her that sometimes, when they talked, he had the impression of talking with a male and not a female. When it had slipped out, he had been afraid to have offended his friend but she had laughed and Miroku had then realized that she understood.

Women, while not stupid at all, were not really cultivated in his time. It was the privilege of the noble class and people of the cloth. Not a lot of men were cultivated but it was even scarcer for women. But even then, the women weren't taught more than what was necessary for their life. But Kagome was able to talk about almost every subject. Of course, it wasn't with her that you could talk about battle strategies; she was very much a 'young innocent woman' in this area, but even in that topic, she had, in more than one occasion, shocked him in her insight and way to analyze a situation.

Miroku sincerely liked Sango, and dreamt often of their possible future together, if he was to overcome his curse before it was too late, but the friendship with Kagome had a special place in his heart too.

Some of the things they talked about though, he knew, he had to keep it for himself only because it hadn't happen yet or had yet to be invented. He understood what she said about time paradox, even if it was confusing, and, while her coming in the past seemed to have been planned, he didn't wish to alter the future beyond what destiny and fate decided.

He had only one chagrin though: the creator of that 'play-boy magazine' that Kagome once shown to him - she couldn't stop blushing that day, mumbling about how the vendor had thought her some kind of pervert because of him, giving him a free ticket to tease her mercily - well, that man had just been born too late for poor holy monk's liking!

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REVIEWS:

dark shadowed rose : that time is really really close, don't worry! ^^ thanks for the review.

ishala8 : yes, Sesshomaru is « waiting patiently » in the cell, alone.

BlackDog616 : I'm so glad that you liked and understood so well why I put this now in the story. Yes, it was needed so it is easier to understand what Kagome's feeling at that instant and why, someone like Sesshomaru who is supposed to hate humans, can see the strength Kagome had been showing until then and had started to respect her as a being. I understand that it is difficult to 'enter' the mind of Sesshomaru so if you need help for something feels free to ask. I prefer sincerely imagine myself in Sesshomaru's mind than Naraku's! *shudder* That's even harder. Thanks for the review!

Tsukiyomi No Miko: thank you so much for your kind words and support. Like I was saying to BlackDog616, getting in the mind of Naraku isn't easy at all and I'm glad that you liked what came out of it. Thanks again.

Yokou Kumiko: I'm so glad that you like it! Hope you will appreciate this chapter too and the ones to come! ^^ thanks for the review.

veggiebulma : the puppet is not here for that particularly. Whatever the puppet do or feel Naraku does too, that's why he sends it to 'play' with her and the coward he is prefer staying hidden somewhere safe, like always. But if she was to crack, you can be sure that the real Naraku would be there before Kagome had the time to say 'ouf'. Thanks for reviewing.

Jeweled Fairy : well that's true that I didn't want to kill the old woman just now. Who knows, maybe we will see her again…But I won't tell! *grin*

And thanks to **pandora-of-the-south, allyct160, ****LaChica17, Itachisgirl88, kouga's older woman, GeorgieGirl999, 1kenshinlover, ****Taiyoukai89, Black Light Brightness, Chrissie0770, akiiclearwater, angelapage, roxas' billa kaulitz, ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, mischievous female, Trelweny Rosephoenixwolf, ****REDWOLF47, XxBlEeDiNg BlAcK rOsEsXx**** , ****Kaiwren522, Joker and the Thief**** , ****OMG, Sugar0o,** for their review and support too.


	22. Chapter 22 : Honor What Is Right

Hi everyone !

Not much to say, so I hope you will enjoyed this new update !

Reviews' corner:

**Sugar0o :** Lol It might happen one day…who knows ? *grin* thanks for the review.

**Black Light Brightness** : Glad that you liked it ! ^^ thanks for the review.

**Itachisgirl88 **: *grin* find it funny too! Don't know from where it came from though. Thanks for the review.

**kouga's older woman** : hope you don't mind what I did with Sango's character. I tried to imagine her ways of things while taking in count her past and background. Thanks for reviewing.

**ishala8** : thought so too ! lol thanks for the review.

**1kenshinlover**: So glad that you understood and liked this chapter. I can't really tell you what will happen with Sango, Miroku, Kagome, Sesshomaru or even InuYasha yet, you will have to wait to see, however I can promise you that it wasn't the last "storm" that will happen between them all, and a lot of it because of Sango's mind set…anyways, thanks for reviewing!

**xXxDarkxxRosexXx :** *blush* thank you so much for your kind words and support ! ^^

**JenJen Midnightgirl** : well since you asked so nicely, Sess IS in this chapter ! and the next too! ^_^ thanks for the review.

**BlackDog616:** thank you sincerely for your review and kind words. :D

**XxBlEeDiNg BlAcK rOsEsXx :** *blush* thank you so much. I was afraid to not have done satisfactorily for that part. I'm glad that you think it was ok. Thanks again for your kind words.

Thanks to : **GeorgieGirl999, Trelweny Rosephoenixwolf****, ****kaiwren, Red Rose Cat, Taiyoukai89, Colette G., REDWOLF47, Joker****and****the Thief, KillerChaos, Ninjas Wings,****DemonessKatana,** **my name is paper YAH,** for their review too. Really, all your comments and words of support went directly in my heart. Thanks, truly.

Thank you to **Pandora** for her corrections as beta of this chapter again and thanks for the idea for the title of this chapter 22.

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

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Chapter 22 :

Honor What Is Right

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As his instincts were raging in his veins, Sesshomaru was waiting. He knew that struggling would not help him in getting to the Miko that his primal instincts were asking to protect, so he stayed unmoving; his ears strained to try to capture any sound that would indicate what was happening outside of the cell he was trapped in. He couldn't, however, stop a growl from escaping from time to time, showing his displeasure and anger.

Some time ago, the young Miko had stopped screaming and yet, they didn't bring her back to the cell as they usually do as soon as they are done with her. Questions were clashing against each other in his mind.

Usually, they would bring her back as soon as Naraku had finished trying to 'persuade' her to accept his ludicrous proposition. But now, the minutes were ticking by with, still no trace of the human. Did something happen?

An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of the DaiYoukai's stomach. Maybe the dark hanyou went too far this time and the Miko was… Bile rose to his throat at the idea.

Effectively, for him, she was just a human but she had been the only one who had ever won some real respect in all the members of the species, beside Rin. Plus, he was, reluctantly, indebted to her; without her interference, it might have taken days or maybe weeks, but nonetheless the poison would have ended by taking his life, slowly and painfully. His youki been almost inexistent, it would not have kept him alive for long, he admitted grudging.

Yet unofficially and not acknowledged by the others, she was a member of his pack and she deserved a better death, like dying on a battlefield but not here. Even if she didn't really interest him personally, it would be a stain to his clan and family for her to end like that. It would not be one but two members of his family failing to protect a mere human at the same time, if she were to fall now.

He had always known that the female was stubborn, in fact a lot like his hanyou of a brother, but with some intelligence added to counter balance, something his brother was totally lacking. He was still impressed that she resisted this long. However, he was starting to see some signs that weren't announcing anything good.

Naraku has a lot of patience, but at any moment he could crack; Sesshomaru 'feared' that he finished by killing the Miko because she was still refusing him. The demon Lord had remarked that the woman was more and more savagely attacked after each day and one day the hanyou might go too far in blind anger. Even if he wished for the stronger Miko to pass her powers to him, it wasn't like that human was the only Miko around who could provide the dark hanyou with a child.

Sesshomaru's instincts, his bestial side, were screaming at him to make sure that the human was still alive. His pride asked that she lived and resisted. She had been made somehow part of his pack and the DaiYoukai would be bothered to have badly judged the woman by thinking her worthy of his time and help. He had bent so low as to take care of her injuries himself and the demon Lord would be angered to have done so for nothing.

Then there was another possibility: the human didn't die and instead cracked and accept the scandalous proposition of Naraku. After all, someone can only take so much before losing hope. He knew that if in her place, most members of his clan would have abandoned by now. However, that would mean that Sesshomaru had misjudged the human severely and the demon Lord hated being remotely wrong or to lose. It wasn't in his nature. It was because she had appeared superior in numerous traits than most of his subordinates, in her human way of course, that he had bother with her at all; that she had been worthy to protect, only because she was so different that the other pathetic humans. Most of the women of his clan, as most demoness in general, were whining and vicious creatures, interested in only money and jewelry, as were the human females. But she was different.

However, if she had accepted Naraku's proposal, then Sesshomaru will have no other choice than to kill her himself in a way of regaining part of her honor for having tainted it by not preferring death. He was ready to do just that but his more primal side was pretty sure of his choice and that she would not bend to the dark hanyou's will.

Of course, no one of his clan will ever hear about it. Never will he acknowledge publically to having found a human woman worthy enough in any shape or form to be made part of his clan. It was a private matter that he would not even voice and it will stay as such, only for the privacy of his mind.

…

After maybe one hour, the door of the cell opened. It was a good thing because the DaiYoukai bestial side was driving the Inu nuts. Sesshomaru watched with an impassible, unreadable face when the two ugly reptilians youkais walked in, throwing what was left of the proud and outspoken female on the floor.

His eyes flashed between golden and red when the strong scents of blood and poison attacked his sensible nostrils. He didn't know why; but he had to stop himself and resist the urge to sigh in…relief, when he heard the faint sound of her beating heart.

Another oddity, this time, their captors didn't stop to taunt him. In fact, they didn't even glance towards him, as if he was not there at all, pinned to the wall. They stepped out without a backwards glance. One of the two walked back in just long enough to leave the tray with whatever was needed to take care of her injuries and left. Then the door was closed, leaving the DaiYoukai alone with the barely alive young Miko.

As soon as he was freed, Sesshomaru was at the woman's side. His cold heart almost stopped when he saw the damage that had been done. If he had not been able to hear her heart, he would have thought her dead.

Slowly, almost hesitating and with barely restrained anger, he moved what was left of her clothes out of the way. It wasn't like it was covering much anymore anyways. She was a total mess; not even a centimeter of her back was left unmarred by lacerations. Sesshomaru was use to gory sights but his instincts were screaming at him, clawing in the confine of his mind, unable to contain his rage. Even if he wasn't a happy Inu to be in this situation, he was supposed to protect her…and failed.

The demon Lord suddenly froze when he heard a soft 'click'. Sesshomaru's head snapped towards the door as the dormer was opening slowly.

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The adolescent boy was horrified at the sight that was awaiting him in the cell. There, in the middle of the room was the human woman, unconscious. Tears welled up in his eyes. It was horrible. She was suspended over a pool of her own blood. The rise and fall of her chest was the only indication that she was still alive.

The young Miko's body was almost entirely bare to the eye. He could only see her front and he did not particularly care to see her back, knowing what he would see.

He had heard the others talk about what was to be done to the human today and it had scared him. It was normally a type of torture reserved for youkai because of the effect of the strong poison. The knowledge had been a gift to their clan a hundred years ago by a dark sorceress. He had heard the story so often as he was a mere child. Sensing her end close, the woman had wished to pass her secret and she had chosen them. But there was a condition, a promise made… and they just broke it. The members of the clan present that day swore on their honor to never use this poison on a woman and to never let the secret escape the control of the clan. But they just betrayed their promise. Worst, they did it on a human female and a Miko. If they weren't cursed before they were now.

He couldn't believe that his family had a hand in that. He couldn't believe that his father was the one responsible for this carnage on the pale skin of the Miko. In any other situation, he would have blushed at seeing a young woman almost completely naked, but not in this gruesome situation. The young demon knew that he shouldn't be there but he felt himself rooted to the spot, unable to truly process what was in front of him. He wasn't even born when the previous Northern Lord had been on the throne and he had only heard rumors of what his clan and family was charged to do for that cruel Lord, but in the last couple of months, he had been able to witness it with his own eyes and for the first time, he felt ashamed of his origins. Not only was his family doing immoral things but they were taking pleasure in the act of torture, it was very evident.

After the death of the Lord, they could have changed their way of life; it was a second chance for that they had been given, however his clan had refused and almost everyone had been killed in the 'purifying' vendetta of the new Lord of the Northern Lands. His own mother had fallen not long ago _and for what…for that!_He thought vehemently. He couldn't bear it. His spine stiffed when he felt someone coming closer and closed the door back as it had been before.

The young youkai hid in one of the unused cells when he heard his Uncles come to take the girl away. Those two love to torture and break people but he could see their uneasiness when they had smelled the familiar poison floating in the air. That's when he decided that he should do something.

He was conscious that he couldn't do much but he had to do something for the young woman. She didn't deserve to be handled like that.

He had observed his Lord and he didn't like him. He was just a monster. Apparently, he wanted something from the young Miko and she was refusing.

Everything went directly to Hell since that dark male with ruby eyes had come to find them, the supposed extinct clan, all those months ago. They had to stay hidden to maintain the illusion that all the clan had been killed long ago and were living in the forest not far from here. His clan had decided to hide to protect themselves but they protected this cave too. They were bonded to it. He had always loved to be in the galleries, and even played here, underground, when he was younger. But now, he cannot go down there without shivering uncontrollably.

Now the cave, this prison had taken to his primary use: a place of pain where death was the only liberation. At the moment, there was the terrible Lord of the West and a young Miko in the cell, but not long ago, there were the screams of priests, monks and Mikos that the dark Lord had made them capture and torture.

The young reptilian youkai walked out of the cave as quick as he could, passing the enchanted entry, and went to seek something to help the human, not realizing that he had been observed…


	23. Chapter 23 : Michio

thank you to Pandora-of-the-South for her help as a beta and her always faithful support.

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

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Chapter 23 :

Michio

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The young adolescent creep silently towards the cell where the demon Lord of the Western Lands and the poor human were imprisoned in. He had gone to seek some things for the woman as quick as he could without getting caught and he was pretty happy with the results and proud of himself; he's always been really fast.

At first, he had thought about getting things from her strange bag they had taken with her when they had kidnapped the young miko but changed his mind in the end. The risk of being found out by the others was too great and then he would not be able to do anything for her. Even if they were just following the orders of their new master, it was his clan, his family who was responsible for the atrocious acts against the woman and the boy felt like he had to do something to compensate their wrong actions in a way.

So he had decided his course of action as his uncles were working on getting the young Miko out of her chains and had run outside. Surprisingly, he found what he was looking for in no time as some of the village girls from close by where doing their laundry at the river. The girls did not even realize that something was missing or that the young demon had ever been there.

His heart was beating wildly in his ribcage as he came closer to the cell. The human had been carried back to her prison. When he was sure that he could not detect anyone around, the young reptile went to the door and, as silently as possible, opened the little viewing slot of the cell's door. He peered in and his eyes opened wide in fright when his eyes immediately came in contact with the demonic-red eyes of the DaiYoukai of the West, as he hovered over the unconscious form of the human woman's body, almost…protectively.

He had heard about the well-known dislike of humans of Lord Sesshomaru so he was quite surprised at the scene in front of him. He didn't know the story behind what led to this but maybe the two prisoners had some kind of agreement? It was a good thing for them if this were the case. Working together could be a great asset for the two of them. However, he did not have the time to ponder more on the subject; the rising menacing growl of Sesshomaru snapped the young demon back to focus.

"M-my Lord." He whispered. "I have something for the human miko."

The demon Lord's red-filled eyes narrowed.

"No, no, my Lord, it is nothing bad." The boy looked around anxiously, afraid to get caught at any moment. "It is really for her." He said urgently. The young demon then dug in his haori and took out a simple piece of cloth and passed it thought the bars. It was a kimono; peasant's clothes at first glance, but it was better than nothing.

In a blink of an eye, Sesshomaru was there, just on the other side of the door and got the fabric, his eyes back to their usual deep golden color.

To see the widely feared grand demon Lord of the Western Lands up close was really intimidating and downright frightening. He had to struggle to not just piss in his pants, literally.

"I…I apologize, to not have been able to find better for your human, my Lord." The boy said shakily.

Sesshomaru's eyes flashed angrily and the boy immediately squeaked an answer to appease him. "Woman. THE woman. M-Miko."

The DaiYoukai was astonishingly, could he say, concerned by the young Miko. Sesshomaru was a really honorable male and they had count on it in their scheming plans. In fact, the young reptilian boy had been shocked when he had first been instructed to just leave the things to take care of her injuries in the cell. The others said Naraku had affirmed that the demon Lord would take care of the woman to insure her survival. At first, he had not been convinced but had been rendered dumbfounded when the DaiYoukai effectively took care of her injuries for them, and quite effectively at that.

It was evident from his mannerisms that the demon Lord had developed some kind of possessiveness towards the human, or at least, his instincts were pushing him to. However, it seemed like it wasn't something to voice out loud in the presence of said Inu, as if it was some kind of taboo, if the DaiYoukai's reaction was any indication when he implied that the girl and Sesshomaru had a link, personal or not. The boy realized that he will have to insure to not let it slip again or it would be really bad for his health. Well, it was understandable. After all, a human-hater taking care of a human was unthinkable.

The young youkai cleared his throat to buy himself some time to gather his thoughts.

"My fa… they used poison on her, my Lord, so her injuries must be tended to quickly or it could get infected and she could die." He was actually proud that his voice wasn't quavering…much. Everything in the DaiYoukai's presence was screaming power and imposed the respect. He was just the image of perfection, deadly perfection. Even now, imprisoned in that cell and most of his powers sucked away, just meeting his cold impassible gaze was enough to make the boy weak in his legs and had to fight the strong urge to run for his life.

Trembling hands reached again in his clothes and held out, through the viewing slot, a small vial to the intimidating demon Lord.

"Th-this should be put on her worst injuries to limit a little bit of the scars and induce an even quicker healing."

When Sesshomaru did not reach out to take the vial, the young reptilian youkai started to sweat, uncomfortable under the cold and impenetrable golden eyes of the demon Lord.

"What does this have to do with you." Sesshomaru asked, eyeing suspiciously the quavering mass of flesh in front of him.

The adolescent refused to meet the uncaring eyes of the DaiYoukai and bent his head, seemingly ashamed.

"I… it is not right." He whispered quietly after a moment. As if taking courage in his words, he looked up with misty but determined eyes.

"What is going on here is not right. I will find a way; I will come back and will try to find a way to get you out, my Lord. It isn't a place for someone like her… or you, my Lord. I heard rumors about a strange clothed miko who was doing good to humans and youkai alike, without distinction. They think that I would not be able to tell who she was. Too much innocent blood has already been shed for the dark-red eyed Lord. It has nothing to do with my clan or us; they have to realize that nothing is forcing us to live this life anew. Until then, I will help." He finished his speech breathing heavily.

After a moment of intense silent observation under the eyes of Sesshomaru, the young youkai started to fidget uncomfortably. Finally, Sesshomaru took the vial and the boy released his breath, not even aware that he had been holding it while waiting for the demon Lord's reaction to his words.

"Your name, boy."

"M-Michio, my Lord." He answered back instantly in an almost high pitched voice, blushing when he realized it.

"Hn."

Suddenly, the young youkai, Michio tensed up. He looked around as if feelings eyes on him.

"I must go now, My Lord. I will try to come back later with more information."

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The young youkai walked bristly away from the cell, conscious that he should be more careful if he wanted to be of any use in the future. He rounded a corner and leaned on the wall, trying to calm his beating heart. He looked back towards the way he came to make sure that no one was following him.

"What are you doing, sneaking around, Michio?" Came a familiar voice just behind him.

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After the departure of Michio, the younger of their captors, Sesshomaru went back to Kagome's side and set himself to work. Unable to look at her back without sensing a powerful rage rise in his veins, he decided to start with her smaller injuries and cuts; and so he cleaned and bandaged her arms and legs. As the demon Lord moved her around, Kagome didn't even move. It was nothing new. She was always unconscious when they dragged her battered body back to their cell. However, this time was different. When he went to cleanse the first laceration of her back, Kagome woke up in a start, whimpering. Sesshomaru hesitated a moment before resuming. She had never been awaken when he had taken care of her injuries before so she had never known that it was he who was doing it for her. The moment of hesitation was exactly for this reason. Until now, Sesshomaru had been able to hide from her that he was the one cleaning and bandaging her wounds. In any other occasion he would have dropped everything to ensure that she would never know but his instincts would not let him.

As he continued, Kagome woke up fully and realized that someone was touching her and felt the atrocious pain running through her body. She tried to move away from whoever was behind her, as tears welled up in her eyes anew but the pain to even move a finger was excruciating. She knew that she knows the person but her mind was so bombarded with pain that she couldn't identify who it was.

When Sesshomaru touched a particularly deep laceration, Kagome screamed and started to panic at the idea of even more pain and tried to move away, only causing herself more pain. On instinct, Sesshomaru reacted. He straddled her body and bent down as close as he could without touching her further. He then let out a gentle growl in hopes to calm her.

As soon as the sound came out, Kagome froze. It was literally vibrating through the heavy humid air around them. Even if she had been in a state to fight this feeling she couldn't. Her body relaxed by itself immediately by the soothing sound and presence that it instantly subconsciously recognized.

"S-Sesshomaru?" She asked timidly with a croaked voice. It felt like she had been swallowing sand, as much her throat was raw and hurting.

"Hn." He answered while still not stopping his low growl from the back of his throat.

Kagome was flooded, unable to process what was happening and if it was really the reality. Was Sesshomaru taking care of her injuries and…purring to calm her down and comfort her? It was surreal. More tears ran down her dirty cheeks. She knew she should do something but didn't have the energy to do so nor the want. After all, the hated half-brother of InuYasha was sitting on her, straddling her waist while taking care of her injuries and was growling to calm her down. Even an alternate universe could not be that twisted. She should push him away, or she should at least tell him to move. The position was frighteningly intimate in a sense and she should do something…but couldn't. She was too tired to think too much about it. Her eyes slide shut, and didn't resist the calming sensation running through her as Sesshomaru continued to growl softly and his massive wild aura caressing surprisingly gently her abused senses. She tried to enjoy the sensation while willing for the horrible pain to disappear. She will worry about the consequences later. Only to have her eyes snap opened at what she felt then.

………

In this new position while having only one arm, Sesshomaru could not continued caring for her back and that's when his instincts decided to kick in and slowly lave her back with his tongue. The poison was tickling at his tongue but he knew that it wasn't of any danger for him. His mind was screaming that he shouldn't do that to or for a dirty human, even if said human had gained his respect but he couldn't stop. It was calming his frail nerves at the same time. His baser part had been driving him up the wall each time he heard her pain-filled screams or each time he saw the damage done to her fragile body.

He tried to do it as gently as possible to not aggravate further her injuries. Her heart was beating wildly; he could hear it clearly in the deafening silence of their prison. Sesshomaru decided to pounder upon his actions and the consequences later.

He felt her shiver under him. He almost growled again when he realized that she was crying anew. The sight was really pathetic. She, the fragile easily breakable human, who was courageous or foolish enough to stand defiantly in front of him and interfere more times that he could count in his fights with his half-breed of a brother was now reduced to a frightened masse of quavering flesh. It was difficult to stand, even for the usually aloof demon Lord.

When the DaiYoukai was sure that every trace of the poison had been removed and the lacerations were clean, he stopped and rose to a sitting position. He tried not to think of the position he was currently in over the crying female or the feeling of her lush bottom so close and reached for the humidified cloth to finish the cleansing of her back. Now that the blood and dirt had been removed, Sesshomaru could more clearly see the damage and it left the demon Lord breathless. Not an inch of her back had been spared. It was truly ugly and completely raw. Again, a violent rage rose in him at the sight.

Sesshomaru was snapped out of his thoughts when new fresh blood started to leak out of the several deeper lacerations of her back. Quickly, he took the vial Michio had given him and took a tentative sniff. The boy seemed sincere but he didn't want to take a risk. It didn't smell like poison. At the moment, the girl was conscious, but she seemed to have been in and out during all the time he had taken care of her back, the pain seemly keeping her more or less awake.

He put what was contained in the vial on her worst injuries. Ignoring the soft cry and whimper coming from her each time he touched her, he then rose and raised her upper half, bringing her front towards him so he could free his only hand. Putting on a bandage with only one hand is already a fit in itself on a limb but for her back it's really almost impossible, even more when the person was conscious, even if her body was like a rag-doll. Realizing that he would not be able to do it properly with only one arm, Sesshomaru did what he could and then slipped the kimono backwards on Kagome so the rough material would not be in contact with her sensible mending skin.

She had not uttered a word and for that he was glad. But he still could feel her gaze on him and hear her cry, even if she was trying to be as silent as she could. He could feel the pain totally clouding her aura in a really unnerving sensation.

He didn't even want to think about what was going through her head at the moment or what he was doing and what he will do. Gathering her closer to his chest he then lifted her and went against the wall. He had decided that he wouldn't let her suffer alone on the ground, at least not this time.

He tried to not think about how close she was, how her breath was fanning against his throat or the feeling of her chest against him or worst, the fact that he wasn't disgusted by the sensations, as he should have been. His arm went around her shoulder to keep her there so she would not fall back and sighed.

The young Miko seemed shocked for a moment as she tensed up and Sesshomaru thought that she would protest but then her body went limp against him. To his surprise, her arms even came around him loosely as if in a hug that surely took most of her energy at the moment. She had not stopped crying since she woke up but now she was sobbing violently.

Sesshomaru froze when the woman, in place of pushing him away, tried to get as close as possible to him and bury her face in his chest. She had moved slightly to his left side. He had to rise what was left of his left arm to keep her from falling. Again, she didn't react as he thought she would. In lieu of shying from the direct contact with the slightly rougher skin of his injured arm, she just melted in his arms. He had avoid most contact since the lost of his arm, not wishing to see disgusted or pitiful glances for him, but the girl currently in his lap, didn't seem to mind it at all.

"It hurts." She whispered hoarsely against his skin. She will probably be ashamed of herself later and worried about what the others and InuYasha would think of her if they knew what was happening right now between Sesshomaru and her, but right now, she just wanted to accept whatever comfort he was willing to provide, as she tried to hug the fearsome demon Lord closer to herself, even if it just hurt her further physically. She just needed to reassure herself that someone was there for her, that even though breathing was really painful, he was here for her.

Not knowing what to do, Sesshomaru put his hand on her head, intermingling his fingers through her thoroughly entangled masse of hair in an awkward way of comfort. He had never been really gifted with emotions.

The DaiYoukai looked straight ahead, his gaze locked on the wall in front of him. He let her cry until exhaustion claimed her and she fell asleep on him...

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End of the Chapter.

Thank you to:

dark shadowed rose, ame33087, angelapage, 1kenshinlover, crebe, Itachisgirl88, kouga's older woman, Jennaha11, JenJen Midnightgirl, Black Light Brightness, Trelweny Rosephoenixwolf, mischievous female, ishala8, demon's purity, **BlackDog616**, XxBlEeDiNg BlAcK rOsEsXx, Sugar0o, maire 53, DarkRavie,

for their reviews. Really, thank you so much.

little side note: Michio means "man on the (correct) path".

thanks to Pandora for suggesting to name.

This story had won the third place award for 'best darkfic' in the 4th quarter Dokuga Awards 2009, and is nominated this time for two awards for the current Dokuga Awards for 'best darkfic' and 'best drama fic'. Thank you, thank you, thank you!


	24. Chapter 24: Pardonned or not?

Disclaimer : I don't own InuYasha.

Thank you to Pandora of the South for her ever so faithful support and help as the beta for this chapter and story.

Thanks for the reviews :

**Brilliantly Breathless, dark shadowed rose****, Sugar0o, Colette G., JenJen Midnightgirl, DarkRavie, kouga's older woman, Trelweny Rosephoenixwolf, Monk-Miko, BlackDog616, Black Light Brightness , Kai, AnimeMangaFreak, ****angelapage, D4rkD4wn, ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, Honey13Bunny, nessabelle20, 1kenshinlover, Sinistera of the Akatsuki, Peaceful Dragon Rose, XxBlEeDiNg BlAcK rOsEsXx, ishala8.**

**Itachisgirl88**: we are almost there, don't worry. Just a couple of chapters and part of the nightmare will end, promise.

I'm so glad that so many of you like Michio…I love him too! ^^ It just proves that, even if you have an awful family, you can become someone good in the long road!

The next chapter will come quicker, promise.

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Chapter 24 :

Pardonned or not… ?

…

Michio slide down the wall, one hand clenched on his heart as if to stop it from jumping out of his ribcage. The scene from earlier still fresh on his mind…

….

_Earlier…_

…_._

"What are you doing, sneaking around like that, Michio ?" Came a familiar voice from behind him.

The young reptile froze, his breath hitching in his throat in fear.

"What were you doing around the cell, Michio? Your father said that you weren't allowed close to the prisoners anymore." Repeated more severely the voice.

"I-I know, uncle." The young boy said while turning towards the older youkai who was looking at him suspiciously. "I just wanted to verify that Lor…the prisoner was effectively taking care of the human's injuries is all." He said, looking down, berating himself for almost letting out 'Lord Sesshomaru'.

The other youkai narrowed his bulbous eyes before judging the boy was inoffensive.

"You are lucky that it was me who saw you. Take that as a warning. I won't tell your father this time, but don't push your luck. Leave the prisoners alone. Their Fate is already sealed. No one escapes our prison alive. You know our rules. Be careful or you could end up with the same Fate. Also don't worry unnecessarily for the human. The Inu will make sure that she lives. After all, I'm sure he does care for staying in the cell with her instead of her cadaver. You know how sensible mutts are to strong smell."

….

_End Flashback_

…

With that said, his uncle had left him standing in the corridor, alone.

A shiver went through Michio's body. He had been lucky indeed. If it had been his father who had seen him disobeying a direct order…he preferred not to think about it. He will certainly have to be more careful or he won't live for long.

However, he wasn't agreeing with his uncle: it was not the prospect of staying in a confined space with a corpse that was pushing the Lord of the Western Lands to take care of the human Miko. Michio was sure of it.

The young adolescent stood up shakily on his legs and went to where the library was…if you could call that a library. It was just one of the cells where several books of different origins had been piled up. His grandfather had been an enthusiast of magic and most of the spells his clan used were coming from those books.

Michio was not authorized to be there and would risk a severe beating if he was to be caught but it was the only thing he could think of to do for the DaiYoukai of the West and the Miko…

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The monk and the slayer were walking in silence under the sun. The silence disturbed only by the sound of their steps on the dusty road.

Miroku suddenly froze in midstep, the rings of his staff tinkling by his abrupt stop.

Remarking the tenseness of her companion, the demon slayer stopped too. "What is it, Houshi-sama?" Asked Sango, ready to the engage in combat.

Miroku sighed and started to walk again.

"Someone is following us." He stated simply.

"What?" Exclaimed Sango while looking around nervously.

"It's InuYasha." The monk said after a moment over his shoulder.

"What? Why would he follow us? Is Kikyo with him?" Sango asked as she walked quicker to catch up with him.

Shaking his head, Miroku turned towards her. "I can't sense her aura, just InuYasha."

She bit her bottom lip, a nervous trait of Kagome, that she seemed to have been infected with. "What should we do?" She wondered, really unsure if she was ready to face the hanyou so soon after what happened the last time.

"Nothing." Miroku said shortly and added, before she could say anything. "He is staying at the very edge of my senses right now. When he will be ready, he will come."

Even if Miroku was still really angry at InuYasha, he won't stop the hanyou from joining back with them. Oh he had no illusion; their friend will probably never apologize or admit that he had been in the wrong. However, he was the brute force of the group and had the enhanced senses that could be essential to retrieve their miko friend from the clutch of Naraku or anyone who had kidnapped her. It was a fact that the young monk was really aware of. So the lesson the hanyou was long overdue will have to wait…

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_Not far away…_

….

InuYasha jumped to the next tree, trying to be as silent as possible. He felt like a criminal, following his friends like that, when he did nothing wrong.

He had been so angry and hurt that the persons he called 'friends' had betrayed and left him behind as they did. His claws flexed again as he thought of the monk's words towards Kikyo. How could he accuse her of working with or have any type of contact with Naraku, the very being who lead her to her death, fifty some odd years ago? It was crazy! She would never, InuYasha was sure of it. Something else must have happened or she must have come up with some kind of plan to kill the dark hanyou because he knew for sure that she would never associate herself with her killer and betray him. Really, Miroku had obviously 'read' wrong and made a mistake. There wasn't any other explanation.

He had hesitated a few days before deciding on following the others. In fact, if it had been for him, as he had calmed down, he would have followed them and yelled some more. It had been Kikyo who had opened his eyes and made him realize that they betrayed him so they should be the ones trying to find him and apologize, and not the other way around. InuYasha had agreed and was convinced by her reasoning. However, as time went by, he stopped and reflected on what happened some more and on what had been said. He wasn't the 'thinker-type' so he got several headaches before realizing that he had jumped on conclusions a little too quickly, as he always did, without thinking.

Oh, he was certain that the monk was wrong concerning Kikyo. Sure the older miko didn't particularly carry Kagome in her heart but he was pretty sure that she would never hurt her on purpose. After all, it was like hurting herself.

He knew that Kagome had said before that Kikyo had tried to kill her but InuYasha was sure that she was mistaken. Worst case scenario, Kikyo must have been trying to frighten her reincarnation, nothing more. It was normal for Kikyo to have some resentment towards Kagome, the younger one was living on her soul while Kikyo had to content herself with only part of it and a fake body. But he had known Kikyo for years and, even if she grew a little colder and more vindictive than when she was alive, she was still close to what she had always been and would never harm an innocent.

The couple of days with Kikyo had been strange and awkward, to say the least. First, it was so calm: no senseless thatching from the futuristic miko, no annoying kitsune, no pervert monk getting slapped around by an angered demon slayer because he felt her up one too many time…

InuYasha was so used to being surrounded by noise all the time that the cold and devoid presence of the undead miko was making him uneasy and jumpy.

Second, Kikyo only let her snake like youkai carry her from time to time, but never him. She said that it was undignified for her to let him carry her. It had hurt him a little, but he managed to overcome it quickly.

Then there were the periods of 'feeding' for his first love. Luckily, she always left to be alone to collect souls but it was still unsettling and the snake-like youkai almost constant presence was creeping him out.

He had followed dutifully the direction pointed by Kikyo, walking further and further from the other members of his group. After two days of nothing, InuYasha had finally decided that maybe he should ask more information on the sources of the undead miko. After all, he had yet to see the supposed unrest in this part of the lands that Kikyo talked about. At first, she had ignored the question then refused to answer, which only made the hanyou all the more curious. But in the end, InuYasha stopped asking for answer and started to demand them. She had been reluctant, it seemed, but she finally told him that he already knows the response of his question since she said it that day: she didn't know if Kagome was really a prisoner in the South or not. However, it was a good possibility. All the lands had been calmed as of late, aside from the rumor of unrest in the South. The hanyou had accepted her answer without a fuss.

Something else was bothering InuYasha and kept circling in his mind. As they settled for the night and Kikyo got up to go in the woods for her 'feeding', InuYasha called out for her and asked her what had pushed her into believing that something was hatching between Miroku and Kagome.

He saw then something flash in her dull eyes but it was so furtive that the hanyou dismissed it, as he watched Kikyo shrugging her shoulders. InuYasha had insisted and Kikyo said that it was just an intuition, that she found Miroku's concern more evident than in anyone else. She even added that she had seen the way the monk and her reincarnation seemed to be getting closer.

InuYasha won't admit it out loud but he was worried because he had remarked himself that the two of them were closer than before and it doesn't reassure the hanyou that someone was confirming his own observation. It didn't sit well with InuYasha at all. He was the center of attention of the young miko, had been for years since she fell in his world, and he intended to keep his place there.

To be honest, he wasn't really sure of what he expected and wanted from the futuristic miko but he certainly won't stay arms crossed while Kagome, who carries Kikyo's soul inside of her, get attached to another male. He won't permit it.

When his anger had totally died out, he realized then that it was just supposition from Kikyo part, as it had been from him before. There was no real proof. It could be that nothing is really happening between the perverted monk and the wench. He might have damaged his friendship with Miroku, only because of some wild guess and his mistrust. That made his stomach drop.

That's when he had informed Kikyo about his wish to join back with his friends wherever they were at now. InuYasha had been truly touched when the undead Miko had made it clear that she didn't want for him to leave her and alarmed when she thought that it was because of her.

In the end, after hours of begging and groveling, finally Kikyo stopped ignoring him. He told her that he would find his group and get them to come back with him after they realized that the woman they were trying to find wasn't there in the direction they took. He knew that there was no proof that Kikyo was right and that Kagome was effectively in the South, somewhere, but he trusted her judgment so blindly, and it seemed to appease the woman. After promising to gather his group and rejoin her back here, InuYasha took off.

That's how he found himself trailing after the monk and the slayer. He had been surprised to see that they had already changed direction so he stayed behind to see if they have reasons to but found none.

InuYasha thought that he was extremely generous. After all, they betrayed him. But, since he had exaggerated that day too, only a little, he was ready to pardon them. See, really generous. The only problem was how to approach the subject. That was essentially why he was still trailing behind them, unnoticed, while trying to find what he could say to them after what happened a couple of days before.

Plus, there was the fact that he had to make them understand that it was wrong to doubt Kikyo's intentions and that if she said that there was a chance for Kagome to be in the South, then damn if they will not investigated in that direction!

…..

_Back in the Northern Lands' prison…_

…..

The young reptilian boy had been going through books for hours but he had yet to find anything useful. If he could just find the right spell nullifying the enchantment of the door, then the Lord of the Western Lands could do the rest. But he went through more scrolls and foreign books that he could remember and did not find what he was looking for. He was sure that it exists somewhere but to find it seemed to appear more and more impossible. He just hoped that it wasn't in one of the books he had to put aside because it was in a language he did not understand.

He sighed. The soft light of the candle was making him sleepy.

He was about to abandon and go try to catch some sleep as his eyes were closing off on their own accord when he came across something that made him forget about sleep entirely.

Hope blossomed in his chest as he re-read the text to be sure. Yes, it might not be enough to get the two of them out of their cell and end their nightmare by the same occasion, but he was sure that it could be of some help in the future. It was quite the simple spell too; one that he could perform himself.

Jumping on his feet with renewed energy, Michio rolled up the scroll in question and hide it in his haori. Now he was thanking his grandfather for teaching him some tricks and languages from oversea and for having been the heir of the clan, insuring his education. He would have been of no help if not for that.

He went to the cell quickly, making sure that no one was around. When there, just before opening the little viewing door, the boy froze as a thought chilling his bones came to him. _What will Sesshomaru-sama do to his family and clan if or rather when he will get out of here?_

He had never thought about this before. He had been driven by the want, the need to right the wrong but…was he ready for the consequences?

His father and the others had done atrocious things to the Lord and the human girl and it was evident that the DaiYoukai would not let them go easily. Hell, even if they had only helped in his capture and nothing else, it would have been probably enough for the demon Lord to ask for their blood.

So was he really ready to be the one responsible for the, more than likely, almost total destruction of what was left of his clan and family when the Inu asked for blood to appease his anger?

Michio almost changed his mind and was about to turn back and leave when the image of the torn body of the miko flashed in his mind. He realized then that they were already damned to Hell. His mother always said that you must atone for your sins.

It dawned to him that he was, in fact, ready to assume the consequences of his actions, even if it meant his death.

Finally, he crept closer, opened as silently as possible the window and peered inside. However, he could not stop a gasp from escaping his lips at the scene…


	25. Chapter 25

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Chapter 25:

End of the game, part1

….. 

Slowly, Kagome woke up. At first, she was disoriented. Her whole body felt numb and in her foggy mind, she could not understand why. She was struggling to even open her eyes. It felt like her eyelids were made of lead with how heavy they felt.

She felt what she was leaning against move slightly; it was strange. Her eyebrows furrowed and she fought harder to open her eyes.

The first thing she remarked was the obscurity and the faint glow of the torches on the wall and then a flash of white and…silver? Finally, her eyes adjusted to the light and it was as if the reality crashed back on her as white and insidious pain attacked her with a vengeance. She whimpered, unable to escape it even if she were to try; it hurt so much.

She then realized that she was still on Sesshomaru and was hugging him as if he was an overgrow teddy bear. Her breath hitched in her throat and fear clung to her coldly. She just wanted to jump away and curl into a ball and die to end this nightmare. Maybe he is sleeping and won't remark she had been there if she moved away slowly.

"Miko." The familiar baritone voice said, vibrating through her beat up body. 'So much for him not knowing.'

"I…I'm sorry." She sobbed out. The pain had lessened compared to earlier but what happened was still there, fresh in her mind and on her flesh. She couldn't take it anymore. It was too much. She just wanted it to end. Anything, she would do anything just for it to end.

Kagome put as much force as she could gather in her current physical state to try to move out of Sesshomaru's lap but succeeded only in jostling her back. She bit violently on her lip to stop herself from screaming. It was evident that she could not move.

She tensed up when she felt Sesshomaru's arm move, only to be shocked senseless when, in lieu of throwing her away like she thought he was sure to do, he just gathered her closer to him and efficiently blocked any more future movements for her; which didn't take much effort on his part since most of her muscles refused to listen to her anyways. Now sitting up straight in his lap, she could feel his warm breath wash over her cheek. The message of the demon Lord was clear and easy to read: "Do not move," to which she obeyed without a fuss.

It wasn't as if she had the force, even when she was fine, to fight with her diminutive strength against him. The problem wasn't there. It was more because, truthfully, she didn't mind it. If she was honest, it made her feel kind of special: someone as ruthless, strong and human-prejudiced as Sesshomaru was taking care of her and offering her his support! Is there a way to make a girl feel more special? And he wasn't bad to look at on the top of it, not to say he was unearthly beautiful, which would only add to boost his ego. Plus, it was really different than what she was used to. She didn't know why, but she liked this feeling and liked the fact that Sesshomaru was there for her. And, as twisted as it sounds, she was glad that it was Sesshomaru who was there for her and not anyone else. She felt a kind of attachment to the demon Lord, which wasn't surprising in it self since they had only each other since they had been captured, right? But it was where the problem lay: she felt ashamed. The shame was eating at her guts for letting the DaiYoukai do as he pleased with her and that she was taking comfort in his closeness. She was betraying Inuyasha. It was a betrayal to find solace and comfort in the arms of another man…man, or rather male that her hanyou friend hated almost as much as Naraku, wasn't it?

But at the same time he was her only link, the only thing linking her to the reality and she knew that without him she would…it was far too much for her to bear. She was in so much pain and Naraku's voice and mocking vicious red eyes were ever present in her mind now, sending her in an endless and bottomless pit in which she was drifting to and she was powerless to stop her fall.

After a moment, as her feelings submerged her totally, her body went lax as she fixed her attention solely on Sesshomaru's strong beating heart just under her ear and his scent and aura which were enveloping her like a warm comforting cocoon, nothing else. It was the only things linking her to the atrocious reality and stopping her from entirely sinking into the nothingness where she would be lost forever.

Sesshomaru remarked immediately the change of demeanour in the girl currently in his lap. She wasn't sleeping per say but it was as if she was. Her conscience seemed to have shut down. Her body was there but her mind seemed as if it had taken its luggage and left, without notice.

As the DaiYoukai glanced down, all he could see was glazed over and unseeing eyes as if the light in her usually expressive pupils was finally drowned out. He felt an uneasy feeling settle in the pit of his stomach, fearing that the woman was finally…abandoning. 

…

_In the meanwhile,_

_In modern time…_

… 

Mrs Higurashi was sweeping the steps leading up to the family Shrine. For any none-practiced eye, nothing seemed wrong with the scene. But if you were to look closer, you would notice the dark marks under her eyes, the way her shoulders seemed lower than usual and the unmistakable lost-in-thought look.

The cause was evident: it had been two weeks since her daughter had left the shrine to the past, down the dry well, never to be seen again. She was worried. Oh, it wasn't the first time that Kagome left for more than two weeks. But it was different this time. She had felt her heart stop beating when Souta told her that Inuyasha came to the Shrine to find Kagome after her daughter had already left for past several days before.

Not knowing what happened to her only daughter was eating at Mrs Higurashi day and night. How come the half-demon who had sworn to protect her had not been there? Mrs Higurashi knew that her daughter would never leave without saying something to someone, because she always hated to worry people. So that was evident enough that something has happened to her. Did someone kidnap her? Is she ok?

Sighing, she thought for the thousandth time that she should not have let her daughter go there. She had always let her children do things they thought they must do and she knew that her daughter would have never been able to live with herself if she hadn't jumped back in the past and try to right the wrong she had done, unintentional as it was. She had raised her children to be respectful and responsible but maybe she should have put limits. Her daughter was still so young. If something were to happen…

"Mrs Higurashi!"

She turned around, only to find the three friends of Kagome's crossing the road.

"We came to see if Kagome finished her treatment and was back from the countryside."

Mrs Higurashi, with a heavy heart, pasted a smile on her lips.

"How are you dears? Kagome is doing great, little by little, but she has yet to come back in Tokyo."

"Ooh." The one with short hair said. Mrs Higurashi knew that she remembers her name but couldn't place it with her face at the moment. Her daughter's friends were disappointed but immediately cheered up saying they would come back another day.

As she watched them walking away and turn back to wave one last time, Mrs Higurashi felt as if she was suffocating. Her broom fell to the ground as her hand closed into a fist over her chest. She knew that something was happening to her daughter. She could almost feel it in her bones. And, she was worrying more with each passing day. Sometimes, in her darker moments, she was thinking that she would never see her again...knowing that she needed to find something else to do to occupy her mind to stay away from such disturbing thoughts, she gathered the broom and climbed back towards the shrine.

As soon as she reached the top her father and son greeted her.

"Mom! Mom! Look! I cleaned all the court by myself!" Souta said proudly.

Mrs Higurashi smiled softly to her son and patted his head. Then she made her way towards the house without a word. Souta's smile fell from his face and then turned to his grandfather.

"Grandpa, do you… do you think that Onee-chan will come back one day?" He asked, trying with all his might to not let his tears fall.

The old Higurashi looked sadly towards the house where his daughter-in-law had disappear to and then down to his grandson.

"Of course she will!" He said, trying to reassure not only Souta but himself as well.

"Yes but…when?" The young boy asked before running into the house too, most likely to hide in his room to cry.

Old Higurashi sighed tiredly and looked up towards the high branches of the Goshinboku as if with a silent prayer… 

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_Back in the Sengoku Era…_

…. 

After a moment of looking down to the unresponsive human, Sesshomaru felt anger boil in his veins at her unblinking-state and just wanted to shake her to get some reaction from her. But he knew that it would probably make things worse.

It was then, as he was pondering what the best line of action was, that the demon Lord heard a familiar 'click' and saw Michio's face appear by the door's window. From his expression, the young reptile youkai was shocked speechless by the position that he and the human were currently in, and probably will have to gather his jaw off the floor.

His reaction didn't surprise Sesshomaru though. After all, who would not be shocked by seeing a human, a Miko no less, wrapped across the lap of a renowned human-hater with said demon looking back at you, unfazed by the situation?

Sesshomaru felt movement and his attention snapped down towards a now frightened mass. The Miko was shaking and looking fearfully towards the door. It seems like the noise of the door made her come out of her trance-like state. However, the DaiYoukai wasn't pleased by what he saw. He narrowed his eyes in distaste: he couldn't think of a time when he had ever seen her this frightened. Hell, even on the day, back in his father's tomb, she didn't look this frightened. In an instant, it was borderline to full flesh panic attack. Sesshomaru didn't like it one bit and scoffed. He will have to make her remember that **he** was the most dangerous thing she could encounter in her life and that if she had to fear one thing, it would be him and him alone. But now was not the appropriate time for such and if he was honest, the idea of her fearing him wasn't all that surprisingly pleasing in his mind anymore, even if it was really curious to see if she ever would fear him.

When the horrible scent of her fear intensified again and was making his nose almost itch, he knew that something had to be done and by the helpless look on the reptile's face, he will have to do it himself.

"Michio." He said tonelessly, gaining not only the attention of the boy in question but the Miko's too. Good.

"Did you find something useful, boy."

Michio looked at the frightened face of the previously strong Miko another second, hesitating, before answering. "I…Yes, my Lord. Though I did not find how to unseal the door or free you, I found a way to weaken the spells that are keeping you restrained a little; but more importantly I found a way to reduce, if not totally cancelling, the seal on your youki, My Lord. You will be able to slowly but surely begin to restore your youki and regain your strength; so when the moment of your escape comes you will be ready. You will just have to hide your youki and they won't see the difference."

"Hn! How must it proceed?" Sesshomaru asked, pleased with the idea to regain part of his power while ignoring the girl still in his lap tightening her hold on him.

"It is a counter-spell of sorts, which will interfere and weaken the ones on your collar and bands. The three bands are linked together so if one is weakened, the others will be weakened too. The spell is rather simple. I just need to be in contact with one of the bands."

The DaiYoukai nodded and made a move to get closer to the door but before he could stand, a terrorised Kagome stopped him by cling to him with all her forces. He tried to move her gently, mindful of her injuries but she just clutched onto him further while only shaking her head violently and crying. Finally, loosing patience, Sesshomaru pried the woman from his person more forcefully and sat her down on the floor as he got up. He made his way towards the door.

When the boy said it was an easy spell, he was not kidding. He just had to read it once more on the scroll and he was ready.

Michio then mumbled some words in a different language as he traced a strange symbol with his finger on the band on Sesshomaru's arm, as said demon Lord looked down on it. The symbol traced seemed to light up as the young youkai whispered again and again the same words, more and more forcefully. Then, he stopped abruptly. As soon as he was done, a flash of light coming from the band almost blinded them. Sesshomaru blinked furiously, his enhanced sight, use to the feeble light of the cell, had difficulties to adapt to the sudden flash. Immediately however, Sesshomaru could tell the difference in his bands and felt immediately better.

The demon Lord gathering his composition nodded and then demanded, more than ask. "Now for the one around the Miko's neck."

Michio's face which had been almost glowing, proud of his accomplishment, fell instantly. His bulbous eyes turned to the shivering curled up form of the woman before lowering his head in shame.

"I didn't find anything about that spell, my Lord. The spells used on her collar were not in any of the scrolls I read and they are different from his lordships. Even if it was somewhat the same spell, I can't touch the collar so I can't use the same counter-spell that I did for you either."

"This Sesshomaru was able to touch it this time." The DaiYoukai said, remembering the cold sensation of metal on his arm as he was holding the Miko for hours.

Michio nodded. "That is quite possible, my Lord. The collar, much like yours, doesn't react if you touch it accidentally. But if you try to touch it with the intention of removing it, it will react violently." He then straightened up. "I will look better my Lord. I must go now, before someone sees me here. Here, Sesshomaru-sama; it's for the lady Miko's injuries." He added as he retrieved another vial, no different than the one from the day before, from his haori and held it out for Sesshomaru who took it.

"You did well, boy."

Michio flushed neon pink. "Thank you, My Lord." He had never been praised for anything before.

"Will she… will she be alright, my Lord?" He asked, glancing towards where Kagome was sitting, curled up into herself.

"Hn."

Michio sadly nodded and then left.

The reptilian youkai gone, Sesshomaru turned to his companion.

"Hn."

Vial in hand, he took two steps towards the woman but stopped, narrowing his eyes. She was gripping the crude yukata closer to herself, trying to make herself as little as possible. It was a pathetic sight. He knew that she was probably traumatized and so he shouldn't get angry with her for acting this way but it was difficult to control it and not get angry...


	26. Chapter 26

Hello everyone!

I'm back with a new and long update! ^_^

Thanks a lot the ones who took the time to leave a comment, really, thank you!

thank you for nomining this story at the last quarter! I'm really touched for all your support. *blush*

Thanks a lot to Pandora of the South, the beta of this story, for her thoughtful corrections. without her diligent work, this chapter might not have been posted so soon. you rock my friend!

**warning**: you might have felt it but this arc of the story is closing to its end and like it's often the case, it will get worst before getting better. so part of this chapter is **darker** and the next one will probably worst, with **lots of blood**. But it will get better soon, I promise. Consider yourseft warned.

some of you will probably hate me for something that is happening in this chapter. Believe me when I say that, had I been able to avoid it I would have. Unfortunately, it was a necessary step towards the conclusion of this first part of the story.

I hope you will like this extra long chapter! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

_..._

_Previously..._

_..._

_Michio's face which had been almost glowing, proud of his accomplishment, fell instantly. His bulbous eyes turned to the shivering curled up form of the woman before lowering his head in shame._

_"I didn't find anything about that spell, my Lord. The spells used on her collar were not in any of the scrolls I read and they are different from his lordships. Even if it was somewhat the same spell, I can't touch the collar so I can't use the same counter-spell that I did for you either."_

_"This Sesshomaru was able to touch it this time." The DaiYoukai said, remembering the cold sensation of metal on his arm as he was holding the Miko for hours._

_Michio nodded. "That is quite possible, my Lord. The collar, much like yours, doesn't react if you touch it accidentally. But if you try to touch it with the intention of removing it, it will react violently." He then straightened up. "I will look better my Lord. I must go now, before someone sees me here. Here, Sesshomaru-sama; it's for the lady Miko's injuries." He added as he retrieved another vial, no different than the one from the day before, from his haori and held it out for Sesshomaru who took it._

_"You did well, boy."_

_Michio flushed neon pink. "Thank you, My Lord." He had never been praised for anything before._

_"Will she… will she be alright, my Lord?" He asked, glancing towards where Kagome was sitting, curled up into herself._

_"Hn."_

_Michio sadly nodded and then left._

_The reptilian youkai gone, Sesshomaru turned to his companion._

_"Hn."_

_Vial in hand, he took two steps towards the woman but stopped, narrowing his eyes. She was gripping the crude yukata closer to herself, trying to make herself as little as possible. It was a pathetic sight. He knew that she was probably traumatized and so he shouldn't get angry with her for acting this way but it was difficult to control it and not get angry..._

.

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….

Chapter 26:

End of the Game

Part 2

….

"Miko." He called out for her, only to watch her flinch, trying to move away from him without looking up. Sesshomaru sighed; naturally he had unlimited patience, but this was really testing his limits. This could become troublesome if her behavior continued like this. He didn't understand why it bothered him so much that the once courageous human, almost bordering on stupidity in his opinion, was now cowering away from him and anything else like the rest of her pathetic race would. It was the natural order of things finally righted, but for some reason he did not like this change in her as much as he thought he might.

Sesshomaru stepped closer. The only acknowledgement he received for his presence was more trembling from the beaten up woman. She was still avoiding looking at him, only fixating on a spot upon the dirty ground and rocking back and forth in a bizarre attempt of self comfort, completely ignoring his person. Before totally grasping what was happening, his tight control he held himself under finally snapped at her disrespect and in a flash he found his hand gripping her shoulder, not strong enough to break skin but enough to ensure his warning was clear.

"Miko!" he growled out.

Finally, Kagome looked up. However, her eyes were glassing over, as if she was seeing but not understanding what she was looking at. It was as if she did not recognize him at all. Only fear reflected on her face while her eyes seemed void of any and all life.

"Miko." He repeated, more calmly this time, his hold on her shoulder lessening considerably. Frightening her more would serve no purpose he knew. He hated having to repeat himself but in this case he knew the situation demanded it; doing so seemed to have worked this time because, slowly, her eyes cleared out and recognition finally seemed to settle back in.

"S-Sesshomaru?" she said in a hoarse voice, as if not sure it was really him or not.

The demon Lord nodded slightly in acquiescence, not wanting to acknowledge the relief he felt at this instant, and then rubbed her head a couple of times, like you would a pet, before he turned to retrieve the vial he had dropped to the ground without thinking a moment ago when his frustration had won him over. He was glad that the vial was still intact. He just hoped that this type of absence won't occur too often with the female. For a brief moment it was as if he was looking in the eyes of a dead person, a little too much like he was looking into the eyes of the undead female that somehow physically look like a cold and dead version of her. The DaiYoukai decided then and there that he did not like this type of expression on Kagome's face or in her eyes; it was creepy, even for someone of his nature. How his pathetic hanyou of a brother could ever compare and confuse the two females? Even Sesshomaru, who had no interest in the human race in general, could see it clearly; they were like night and day, even if they had looked more alike just a moment ago.

When he turned back, the Miko was eyeing the vial in his clawed hand with distrust visible. She was finally coming back to her senses it seemed.

"What is that?" she asked after clearing her throat.

He decided that, since she was crawling slowly back to her original state of being, he would indulge her with a little answer.

"It's a potion for your wounds."

"But what is it?"

Sesshomaru shrugged, he didn't know the specifics nor did he care to know.

After moistening her lips nervously, wincing slightly when coming in contact with the sensible skin of her cut bottom lip, she spoke again when she saw him make a move in her direction once again.

"How do you know that it isn't dangerous? Do you really trust the demon that gave it to you? He is one of Them!" she said while still eyeing the vial in his hand suspiciously.

"If it was dangerous you would already know woman, since it has already been used upon your body. Should this Sesshomaru need to point out that without it, you would probably be unable to move as you are and might even be dead by now? Now cease this idiotic display at once!" he answered her frostily. The nerve of this human, honestly! He had lowered himself to actually take care of her and she dare to imply that he would only do so just to hurt her now, is that what she honestly thought he would do? "And Miko, remember always, this Sesshomaru trusts no one." He added as an after thought.

He saw her shudder in fear at the sudden coldness in his voice and reply. Good! She shouldn't have tried to sully his honor as she had. They have made a pact and she was a member of his pack for the time being; she will have to learn that one does not hurt their own pack, aside from teaching lessons on unruly ones. Sesshomaru was anything if not a creature who valued honor above all other virtues.

"However, Michio is truthful with his desire to assist us as much as he can."

She nodded; it seemed that the words he spoke of on this matter were acceptable. She turned slowly, her back facing him, as a show of submission and trust in him to care for her wounds that was difficult to ignore.

The DaiYoukai kneeled behind her and with a skilled ease he lowered her kimono top to her waist. He paid her no mind when she gasped in surprise and tried to hide her front, blushing the entire time. The demon Lord found it amusing and was half tempted to inform her of the pointlessness of said actions and the fact that he had already seen almost everything there is to see of her, but he refrained from making such a declaration.

"Will he help us get out of here?" she asked after clearing her throat again out of embarrassment because she completely refused to turn and face him when she spoke to him. Sesshomaru was pleased that she wasn't spacing out and seemed to be coping with her current situation so he decided to excuse her rudeness of not facing him when speaking. He wasn't quite sure why her alertness was pleasing him so; after all, he had declared himself responsible for her physical health, not her mental or emotional well-being.

Instead of offering her a direct response, he just said that he wasn't about to put his life in the hands of another being much less that of a child. "We will have to find our own way out of here." Michio was just too young to put too much hope in; it is not going to be easy for him to go against his own family and tribe when all is said and done after all.

Kagome agreed with his logic once she really thought about it. Who knows what future could possibly await any of them?

He took care of her injuries while growling softly without realizing it to keep her calm when working on her worst wounds. Kagome couldn't move; it was as if a wave of warmth shot through her entire body. She was totally and utterly at his mercy by this point and she knew it.

Now that she was completely conscious of what was happening she knew she should be terrified of her predicament but, besides the embarrassment radiating off of her, she was as calm as one would be while meditating. She had no trace of fear in her mind or body.

She had already thought about what it would be like to be a ward or pack member to Sesshomaru. This topic had been one constant disagreement between her and Sango but now she had proof that one really could put their life on the line if Sesshomaru gave his word that he would not hurt them. Still, she couldn't prevent the blush from taking its permanent residence on her cheeks when she realized that she had lowered her arms, which were hiding her modesty, while she was lost in her own thoughts; and that Sesshomaru could have seen everything.

She covered herself back up, mindful of her injuries. She tried to reassure herself by thinking that he probably didn't even see her as a woman, she was human after all. That thought, however, made her a little sad, even she did not know why she felt that way and decided quickly to dismiss it immediately. After everything that happened to them, Sesshomaru was her friend now, at least in her mind, and she didn't think that she would ever be able to forget anything that happened in this cell. She had seen the demon Lord, which she had always suspected existed in him and had wished to see though she never thought in a million years she would, and so much more of him that she never thought could be possible. This made her wonder if her wounds were so bad to cause Sesshomaru to actually take such good care of her pitiful self. He must be afraid that she would die on him before helping him out of this cell.

As only he could with his one arm, the DaiYoukai managed to cover her with the crude yukata, which felt rough on her tattered skin and was a complete contrast to that of Sesshomaru's gentle caress with his hand. The yukata was once again place backwards on her so that the freshly bandaged back would not get irritated with the rough fabric.

Sesshomaru noticed, almost immediately, that she was fighting to keep her eyes open. She felt like all she did was sleep, her whole body seemed numb. Though she didn't know what was in the potion that the reptilian boy had provided, she couldn't bring herself to care because she suddenly realized that she was not in so much pain anymore.

She was waiting for the moment that Sesshomaru would get up and go back to his wall, but to her utter surprise he gathered her in his arm the minute he stood and carried her over to the wall with him. Sliding down to sit against the wall he placed Kagome in his lap to where they were sitting facing each other, chest to chest once again. The position was extremely intimate, more so than what she was used too, but it ensured that her worst injuries did not come in contact with anything that could cause infection or pain. She couldn't believe that Sesshomaru was doing this for her again. She remembered him telling her once that she was considered a part of his pack because InuYasha is pack; even though if he were honest Sesshomaru would prefer to rip off his only remaining arm before admitting it too often and loudly.

She was one he had recognized as pack, one he was suppose to protect and take care of yet she felt like he was doing so much more than just keeping her alive as he said he would do. He might not have realized it but he has done so much more for her than anyone has ever done in the past. On top of that, he appeared as though he didn't mind touching her anymore; which is a very good thing after considering the first few days she felt as if she had some atrocious and contagious disease that he was scared of catching with how much avoidance he had towards her even when the briefest of contact was made.

Her cheek lay against his chest, the sound of his strong heart beat lulled her to sleepiness, and she truly felt safe. He was warm to the touch and he was continuing the low rumble at the back of his throat, making her body become mush, like jell-o. His presence was the only thing preventing her from crying hysterically after all of what has happened to her. She couldn't understand how she could be so calm now, after everything that took place just the day before, but she knew he was the reason for her current state of calmness.

"I don't want your pity." She whispered softly before she could stop herself.

"This Sesshomaru does not know pity." He said just as quietly, without even thinking about his sudden answer.

Those few words of reassurance made her happier than she cared to admit. She wanted to thank him, to convey how much she truly was grateful but she couldn't move much less speak. Even if she could speak, what would she say? Just telling him 'thank you' was really too little of appreciation. So she nuzzled his chest gently moving up to the hollow of his throat; she felt so protected. She knew that she should be mortified that he saw her almost naked, had clothed her, took care of her injuries and now here she is sitting in his lap and pressed against his front in a very intimate position. She looked up and saw amber eyes looking down impassively towards her. Tears of gratitude wield up in her eyes as her overwhelming emotions submerged her.

"Arigato… Sesshomaru."

When he nodded in reply, she nuzzled him again, snuggling even closer and closed her eyes finally. With him there, she was safe. She let herself be lulled by the rhythmic drum of his heart beat and the gentle brush of his aura on her exhausted and almost nonexistent aura. Already, she could feel more power in his aura than before. Without realizing it, tears fell silently on her cheeks, and she cried herself to sleep, not uttering one word; not knowing if it was because of what happened or the thankfulness she felt towards a certain DaiYoukai.

…

As Sesshomaru was taking care of her injuries, he immediately remarked that besides a little whimper here or the biting of her lip there, Kagome was totally lost in her thoughts.

One of his eyebrows arched as he witnessed her arms slowly but surely lowering, exposing herself to him and anyone else who cared to watch; proof that she wasn't with him consciously anymore, he knew of her prude-like tendency when it came to such a display.

He knew that he shouldn't, but as any red-blooded male would, his eyes traced the contour of the breast that he could see from his vantage point. He tried and failed to pry his eyes away from the view of her apricot-marron nipple that stuck out because of the cold air and the humidity. He could even visualize in his mind's eye that her chest would probably fill the palm of his hand nicely; not small at all but not too big either. He was also impressed by the strange contraption she normally used, what he believed she had called a 'bra'. He still remembered how embarrassed she had been when she had to explain what it was and what it was for. The result of the use of this contraption was fascinating. Even with their weight, her breasts were still high and perky; remarkable invention, for humans.

The simple fact that she was awake and conscious of him touching her and understanding what was happening; it was more difficult to rebuke the fact that even if she was human, she was very much a woman. He didn't like the direction that thought was headed in one bit.

Shaking his head, Sesshomaru rationalized that it had been quite some time since his eyes feasted on a woman's body, too long apparently if he was gifting a human's body with more than a passing glance. He will have to rectify this when he gets back to his palace. It was starting to affect his character and actions, which was completely unacceptable.

Yes, he will have to organize a quick rut upon his return. There were plenty of females more than ready to satisfy his needs at his palace, in hope that he would keep them at his side after his satisfaction. They were like vultures waiting for the right moment to swoop down on their prey, this thought made Sesshomaru scoff. They weren't even good enough to be graced with a place at his side for more than a night. Leaving those thoughts to the side, the DaiYoukai continued with his work on the Miko's injuries.

Then Kagome finally realized what she had done; while letting out a little gasp and covering back up her chest, she blushed profusely and avoided eye contact. If it had been in his character, Sesshomaru would have laughed at her reaction. He pondered anew if he should tell her that she didn't have to bother covering herself or be embarrassed since he had already seen everything before, but he again refrained; thinking it would be better to not point out that particular fact. His ears still remembered painfully all too well her reaction when he had gone to relieve himself for the first time after having been released from his chains. She had let out a high pitched scream, which could rival the shrill squealing of Jaken any day, when she had turned in his direction and had seen him with his hakama's around his knees.

Seriously! She had done it in front of him too so what was so shocking about him doing the same? Did the woman really think that he was different than her or any other living creature on this planet? He had scoffed when she, red like a tomato, told him that he should have warned her first. As if he needed her permission for anything. Anyways, he didn't want a repeat; his poor ears might be damaged permanently this time. It was a wonder how this piercing sound was able to come out of her seemingly delicate throat. If it hadn't been for the promise and their pact, he would have made sure that she wouldn't be able to let out that kind of sound again for another moment.

But frankly, Sesshomaru hadn't seen anything that Kagome should be ashamed of. Really, she possessed forms that other women would kill for, even some demoness would probably be jealous of her well proportioned body. While it's true that the lack of enough food was starting to show on her, she still possessed a more feminine form than most. It's usually too little or too much and while human males tend to favor more classical Asiatic body shapes, youkai tend to like more voluptuous forms. They are more animal in this point and more than likely are viewing the female with a pup in mind; if the woman is too petite or had too small of hips, there were more risks to die in child birth. For the Miko, her waist was well defined without being too accentuated and breaking the harmony of her body shape. Really, nothing to be ashamed of; he had always loved women with more shapely forms better…

Sesshomaru froze, had he just imagined the Miko as a potential lover candidate for him? _Ridiculous_, he scoffed, banishing the thought. But as he gathered her in his lap before realizing what he was doing and allowing her to curl up as close as possible to him all the while nuzzling even closer to his throat, the traitorous idea still floated around in his mind…

Days later…

Michio was deep inside their library, surrounded by books with his nose buried in one. He had been hiding in there for days, as soon as he had some free time and could escape the vigilance of the others. If they were to hear that he had been going through the personal book collection of his grandfather to find a way to betray his father and his clan's law by freeing the prisoners…

He shivered, better not think about it. His father wasn't the exception of the family, like his uncles, they inherited their viciousness and lack of conscience from their father. His grandfather had been a devious bastard in his time, taking great pleasure in other's pain, but contrary to his progenies, never did he use any of his multiple talents on members of his own clan or even raise his hand to his sons. He didn't have to; he was just plain scary like that. Everyone knew what he was capable of doing and that was enough to dissuade anyone from crossing him.

That was the big difference with the current Chief of their clan, Michio's father. If Michio ever was to even think of doing something his father doesn't approve of, his father would come down hard on him before he could realize what exactly was happening. While he would never use his poisons on his son, the old lacerations on Michio's back were enough to say that his father was reigning not by respect but by fear and violence alone. Even the natural strong healing abilities of the youkai weren't enough to fight against the furious hits of his father, leaving his body marred with scars all over his back.

Sometimes, it was a wonder that Michio was really part of this family, having not an ounce of evil or cruel intentions in him; if it hadn't been for the strong resemblance to his father's side of the family, who knows what his father would have done to him.

His mother often said that he looked exactly like his father when he was younger. Unfortunately, that was part of the reason why his father was always 'looking after him' so closely. His son, who so strongly looks like a younger version of himself, was too soft for his taste. He had blamed, more often than not, Michio's mother for giving him this abnormal son. Sometimes, Michio wondered what his life would have been like if his grandfather had lived a bit longer.

Shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts, Michio went back to his reading. He froze as soon as the first sentence registered in his mind.

Could it be?

He read and re-read the same passage. His bulbous eyes went bigger.

Yes, he found it!

Excitedly, he immediately took a piece of parchment with feather and ink ready, he tried to copy and translate the instructions. He thanked his grandfather mentally again for teaching so many mainland languages or he would not have been able to help at all.

He realized that what was needed to break this spell wouldn't be easy to find. However, as images of a terrified Kagome floated in his mind it made his resolve to right this particular wrong stronger. He would do his best to reestablish his clan's honor, even if he had to go against the wishes of their leader. Michio couldn't remember having ever been so excited for anything else before this. Plus, the sensation of doing something important was a thrill he had never even considered a possibility. Maybe that's why his clan had always loved to work for the previous Lord. The feeling of doing something important and the feeling of being needed was really exalting.

As soon as he finished verifying that he didn't make any errors; Michio jumped on his feet, resisting the urge to skip towards the door. It would be degrading and embarrassing if someone was to see him, but he couldn't help it. He was sure that Sesshomaru would be proud of him. Maybe he will praise him again? The young adolescent youkai almost smiled at the thought.

In his excitement to go and inform the Lord of the West of the good news, he forgot to blow out the candle. Realizing his mistake, he mentally slapped his forehead for his forgetfulness. If you want to be discreet and not let anyone know that you have been reading the books you shouldn't, you don't just leave a candle lit beside them that could cause the precious manuscripts to burn. _Way to go Michio_. He sighed.

He walked back towards the table, he was using, to blow out the candles. While he could see well enough to direct himself in the dark, it was not possible to read anything. As soon as his vision adapted to the obscurity, he turned back towards the door but froze in his actions.

There, in the doorway, stood Naraku.

…

Fear exploded like fireworks in the poor trembling Michio. Has he been discovered? He gulped loudly when he saw how intensely the dark hanyou was looking at him. Without thinking, he discreetly slipped the copy of the spell in his clothes, while trying to find a way to escape the thorny situation in one piece.

"What are you looking for, Michio?" asked Naraku coldly.

The putrid odor of fear floated in the air. The dark Lord's voice was usually so honeyed, probably by deceit, but this colder version was even scarier. His mouth opened and closed several times before a sound was able to escape.

"N-nothing M-my L-lord!"

"You would not have been about to betray me, right, Michio?"

Michio was paralyzed with fear. Naraku stepped closer as the reptilian youkai stepped back. He glanced towards the door, trying to find a way out around Naraku without getting killed. It was getting more and more unlikely that he would be able to get out of here alive he realized. Ironic, he had been initially afraid of his father finding him here and had completely forgotten about his supposed new Lord and Master. Right now, he would almost welcome the correction his father would inflict just to be away from Naraku and his dark aura.

"You were not about to free the prisoners, were you, Michio?" he asked, the anger now more evident than ever in his voice. Michio was petrified and his eyes filled up with tears without his consent. He was going to die. He could see it in the bloody red eyes fixed on him.

Then, as if a ray of light and hope broke through the dark and ominous clouds, they could hear voices in the corridor by the opened door telling them that someone was coming. His heart skipped a beat. It was his father. He was saved!

…unfortunately, Michio didn't have time to call out.

In a flash, Naraku was standing in front of him, a sneer on his face. Just the right amount of time to inhale, ready to scream, his futile intentions were reduced to nothing as a disturbing crack, echoed throughout the room; the dark hanyou had snapped his neck.

The light in his eyes slowly receded and in one instant, Michio was no more, his body falling down like a puppet that had its strings cut off as Naraku opened his hand to release his neck.

Hearing that the voices were coming closer, Naraku didn't have time to see what the young traitor had been looking for; he quickly stepped out of the room and into the corridor. The door closed behind him just as Michio's father was rounding the corner with another clansman.

Upon spotting their Lord, they bowed in respect. Michio's father raised his head to ask Naraku if he had seen his son around anywhere. Naraku looked at the reptile Chief and simply stated that he had not; the Chief mumbled under his breath, as they stood in front of the door, about how ungrateful his son was for everything him and his Lord had given to Michio.

It was difficult, even after being betrayed by Michio, for Naraku to keep an impassible face when the son in question was just on the other side of the door lying dead, by his very hand. Really, the urge to smirk or even laugh at this ridiculous and ironic situation was extremely difficult to contain within him.

As the Chief was about to leave, Naraku stopped him. He decided that it was time; he turned to leave while pausing long enough to give the Chief instructions to prepare the prisoners. When his docile servants looked at him confusedly at the plural form of the word, but still ready to carry out his orders none-the-less, the dark hanyou added one last comment that made a shiver of excitement run down the spine of the Chief.

"It is time to stop playing around; it is time to put a stop to our little game once and for

all."

Naraku smirked, this time he didn't even try to contain his laughter when the Chief almost completely vibrated with pleasure as his words meaning took effect in his mind. If only he knew what was behind the very door he stood in front of now, just a few feet from him. After bowing lowly, the Chief and clansman went to find the others to help execute their Lords orders. Naraku mused that sometimes it was just too good to be in his position here.

After one last glance towards the door hiding the corpse of Michio, mentally noting that he will have to clean up before one of his obedient servants finds the boy's body, he left as well to await his guests' arrival in his special room; everything lay before him, ready for him to use them to fulfill his plans. Cleaning up after himself will be a necessity in order to keep this lifestyle he was become accustomed too. It wouldn't do to have them disobey his orders now for an absurd sense of justice for having just killed one of their kind, he rather liked their cruelty, their taste for blood and torture, and he did not want to have to end their little association so soon, especially now that he was so close to accomplishing what he has wanted for so long. Plus, the young one wasn't a big lost, he was too tender at heart and was using his brain far too much to have made a good servant for Naraku.

Yes, it was finally time to put an end to this little game and be more serious from here on out.

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Kagome was slowly getting better. Her most serious injuries were closing up leaving only soreness in their place. _Thanks to Michio's special solution and Sesshomaru's care_, she thought, blushing at the still lingering ghostly feel of his oh so dangerous claws that had taken such delicate care of her injuries. It was really baffling. Never would she have thought of ever associating 'tender' and 'delicate' with the terrifying DaiYoukai of the West's name. Her heart fluttered at the reminder of how gentle he handled her in those few moments. She will probably never forget, even with the pain she had been in, at that moment, the feeling of his hot breath on her skin or the feeling of his tongue. While she was feeling almost nothing but pain then, she will always remember the slow and gentle licks he gifted her with after the pain was mostly gone. It should have grossed her out but maybe she was taking in more of the canine characteristics than she thought after being around InuYasha and Shippo for so long; because she was able to find something like a lick quite nice indeed. After all she was already getting use to it when her little fox would sometimes lick her in his sleep or as a 'hi' in the morning when he wasn't totally awake yet.

There was still something that was bothering her though; while it was true that her injuries were healing quite nicely and quickly, she knew that her body was probably covered by scars, some more ugly than others. It was a good thing that she couldn't really see herself right now or the little bit of a good mood she was able to gain by just talking and being around Sesshomaru would disappear in a puff of smoke. Who in his right mind would want an ugly and scarred woman like herself? That was a question that wasn't far from her mind even as she was trying to keep it away.

Sesshomaru was quite relieved when he saw the girl slowly but surely coming back to her old self. He was pretty sure that it was because she could feel his powers slowly coming back too. He was still not at half of his usual potential, but he was getting there. The first time that she snapped out of her morose attitude was when he had gently brushed his youki-infused aura against her for the first time. While it was true that she could probably feel his essence when close by and all, even with her own diminished aura, it was nothing compared to the feeling of his aura infused with his powers. Her head had immediately snapped in his direction, her petite hands rose to her mouth only to fall down and reveal one of the most brilliant smiles she had ever gifted him with.

It had been so long since she had given him anything, but small sad smiles or no smile at all in the recent days, that Sesshomaru could have sworn that his heart skipped a beat upon seeing her smile. Even beaten up, as she was, she had looked radiant. It was like, by regaining his powers, he was infusing life and energy back into her body and soul.

As soon as she had been able to stand again, she had gone back to messing with the stones in the wall. A little while ago, she was actually able to almost get one of the stones free from its cage. Kagome celebrated her little accomplishment, the fruit of her hard work is finally starting to pay off and show. Sesshomaru couldn't help but think that her sudden joyfulness was just a front; after all it had only been a few days since her last encounter with the dark hanyou. Even if she wasn't talking about it, Sesshomaru knew that she would not be able to support another session with Naraku anytime soon; not without breaking that is.

With the slow return of his youki, Sesshomaru knew he would be able to withstand the 'repel' spell that the stones created, a little better. With that thought he tried to participate, making extremely happy. At the joy that Kagome seemed to be able to express, some of the weight left his heart at seeing her chatting happily again with him. Well, it was still more her talking alone and him, more or less listening to what she was babbling about, but each time he would answer or even acknowledge her; she would smile radiantly to him.

However, the spell was still very much effective. Each time his hand grazed a little too close to the cursed stones, a burning sensation would immediately start attacking his fingers. When Kagome finally saw the problem, a good portion of his fingers were already red and puffy, burned enough that even Kagome could see it with the dim light they had in supply. Had he been anyone else, he would have probably found amusement with her sudden panic only to turn around and scold him for continuously trying to touch the stones after the first time they burned him and not telling her about the issue.

She tried to force him to stop but of course he wouldn't listen and simply ignored her, causing her to believe he had some weird fetish and liked inflicting pain upon himself. Fuming with her anger, that he would not take her advice, she sat down and refused to do anything further; even when their captors brought them food, she refused to eat. In the end, Sesshomaru caved in, not wanting her to be even weaker than she already was.

He tried to convince himself that he had stopped, not because he was worried about her wellbeing or because his fingers were killing him, but just because he wished to stop.

Soon another stone was moving as well. This task was almost done and while he did not help for very long, what little he had done was rather efficient and beneficial as well.

Since the first stone started moving the Miko seemed to almost work nonstop, causing the DaiYoukai to become concern. Aside from the few moments the uglys were bringing her food or when she was almost falling asleep on her feet, she was constantly working.

She would refuse to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time, making Sesshomaru wake her. Then, there was the fact that she wasn't eating enough either. Their captors would only bring in food for one meal per day and only for her. She was still sharing it with him regardless; this was causing her to lose some weight and it was showing visibly.

Well, it was evident to Sesshomaru's eyes anyways; he had been taking care of her wounds and saw her in almost nothing in order to do just that. He also knew that he was also loosing muscular mass as well, even with the small portion she was sacrificing for him; a few bits of dry meat wasn't enough to satisfy his hunger and as the days passed the hunger was getting more and more difficult for him to conceal. He knew though that if he were to show any sign of him being hungry in front of her, she would probably try to give him all of the food for the day; regardless of how hungry she was herself. Stupid human.

Shortly after the second stone started moving Sesshomaru finally demanded Kagome to tell him what had happened a few days ago with Naraku. The curiosity had almost driven him crazy. They had clashed when she finally submitted to his demands and began to tell him bits and pieces of what had happened. Sesshomaru almost jumped for her throat when she told him about what had transpired within the illusion.

_"I didn't break my promise!" She yelled fearfully when his eyes had flashed red at her._

_"Liar!" he spat._

_"I said that I would never describe what is happening in this cell and I meant it. I never told Inu…Naraku what happened, just that you were…there, that's all."_

_He stopped his advance towards her then._

_"I…I was worried when I couldn't find you anywhere around. So I just asked him if he could catch your scent, that's all. I promise. Suddenly, you weren't there anymore. I was outside, and you weren't there anymore, I was alone and I…panicked. You had disappeared and I…" her voice caught in her throat as her bottom lip started to quiver and the tears, she had been holding back, gathered in her eyes._

_All anger had suddenly left Sesshomaru, he sighed. How can I be angry when she makes such a pitiful face?_

_She stepped towards him, timidly, her tear-streaked face asking what she wouldn't; what she couldn't say out loud. When he didn't move she walked the small distance that separated them and tentatively hugged him around his waist. At first he tensed up at the initial contact, then after a resigned sigh, he placed his hand on top of her head, letting her collect the small comfort he could offer. While she was often a wild and spirited woman, at times like this, she was so fragile, like a lost child that it seemed to stimulate his instincts into protecting her. It was…disconcerting._

_"This Sesshomaru won't always be there." He warned her softly._

_She snuggled as close as was humanly possible to his chest._

_"I…know…"_

She had stayed, hugging him until she stopped crying and then slowly backed away, blushing. They didn't say a word about what had just happened or about her sudden outburst and concern.

After having worked on it for days, the third stone moved. Kagome was almost jumping up and down in happiness, beaming up at the DaiYoukai, only to freeze when Sesshomaru was suddenly propelled against the wall, almost crushing her to the wall with him.

"No…" she whispered in horror.

She knew what it meant.

The meal of the day had already been served so they shouldn't be there at the door again. That meant one thing; they were here to take her back to Naraku.

Wild panic took hold of her as this sudden realization settled in. She tried desperately to escape. Unfortunately being caged up in a little cell only gives you so many places to try and hide in; her attempt was futile for they caught her and carried her out of the cell all the while laughing. They laughed at how desperate her fight had become while in their grasp, the collar was burning her every time she tried to raise her powers to defend herself; most of her powers were now completely drained from her body.

As she passed through the cell door, her body went completely still; the fight in her was gone, she allowed them to carry her off without even raising another finger in her defense. Before she had completely disappeared out of sight though she glanced at Sesshomaru one last time, the broken glance she sent him had left a bad taste in his mouth. He suddenly had this overwhelming feeling as though this would more than likely be the last time he would see her alive. It was a look of 'good-bye' he had seen there in her eyes at that moment.

His chest became flooded with pain and rage; he needed to be doing something. He would not accept her abandoning everything after all that they had been through. He tried, with all that he had, to get off the wall as he knew that the stones weren't completely fixed to the wall anymore; suddenly stopping when the cell door opened again. Surprise was the emotion Sesshomaru had when instead of one of their sadistic captors; two of them stepped back inside and took him with them. This was the first time, since his capture, that he was outside of their cell. Thinking this was the perfect opportunity that they had both been waiting for he started to plan his escape but all thoughts stopped upon two revelations. The first was the more persistent and that was the small sword that was currently resting on his throat where the collar was; though he could still escape it would be at the risk of having his jugular slit open. The second and more important reason for him to not escape was the fact that they were currently heading in the same direction they had taken Kagome; as they walked he smelled more and more of her scent and its intensity proving they were close to her. He simply allowed them to carry him away through the winding halls, all the while buying his time for their escape.

Upon arriving, his stone-like face didn't let show what he was feeling once he saw Kagome; in a vertical spread eagle tie, nothing but the leather bans and the wooden planks holding her up. Naraku was standing right by her side, murmuring things in her ears; things that only she could hear. Sesshomaru noticed she was crying and kept repeating over and over again "no."

That was when Sesshomaru found his now chained wrist being hoisted in the air to the wooden rafters that were protruding out of the walls just over his head. Once Sesshomaru was chained exactly where they wanted him, facing Kagome, Naraku whispered once more in her ear and pointed in his direction. The shock, panic, and pain were all instantly evident on her face, as well as the red imprint of a hand that had struck her cheek very recently. Apparently, aside from just being hit on her face, she had also received small cuts up and down her visible legs.

Naraku fixed Sesshomaru with a heated glare as he ripped open Kagome's yukata, exposing her to everyone present; jubilation flowed through his veins when he saw the pure fire of fury flash in the DaiYoukai's eyes.

Leaning in to Kagome's ear he taunted her more about how InuYasha was not going to come and save her, while cutting little lines in her arm and stomach to show how defenseless and hopeless it really was for her to continue to fight him. No one would be coming for her, and once she figured it out the better it will all be for her; so he promised.

"Let go of your fantasy of being rescued, let go of your pride and simply give me what want."

"Go fuck yourself, you Bastard!" she whispered vehemently to him.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…seems you have such a potty mouth, maybe I should be making better use of it! Such a filthy mouth needs to be cleaned out by any means necessary. Shall I show you how angry your outburst has made me?"

He signaled to the Chief, who stepped closer to Sesshomaru's back. The putrid creature could not stop the jubilation from showing on his face, even if he wanted too.

Sesshomaru ignored him and fixed his gaze on the other side of the room, he knew what was coming. Once again Kagome had Naraku murmuring things of promises and threats into her ear. The DaiYoukai could not hear what was said but he was pretty sure he wouldn't care for the words; not liking the expression on Kagome's face, her wide eyes and frightened gaze fixed on him, furthered his feelings.

The Chief, not liking the fact that Sesshomaru was ignoring him, got directly behind him and let his whip crack against the DaiYoukai's smooth back. Closing his mouth tight so as to not let a sound out, even though the pain was extremely atrocious; he refused to let them hear him cry out in pain. Through his pained screams within his mind he could vaguely hear Kagome's cries and pleas for them to stop while visible tears streaked down her face. He had lost count of how many times the whip had made contact with his back but it seemed like a moment after Kagome's pleas came out of her mouth, the whip was stopped.

Though his mind was drowning in a sea of pain he could clearly hear Naraku now telling Kagome that she had but one word to say and everything would stop.

When Naraku didn't get an immediate answer the Chief cracked the whip again. She hung there sobbing.

Finally, the torture on his back ended; had he been anyone else, he probably would be unconscious by now. It seemed as though his back was burning, literally. Suddenly realization entered his mind as he heard Naraku mocking the Miko. He wanted to know why she was reacting so, it was Lord Sesshomaru after all not InuYasha or one of her other friends. He wasn't hurting her or her comrades but instead he was torturing her enemy, "shouldn't you be happy instead of crying and screaming for us to stop?"

Walking to her other side and lowering his voice a little more, Sesshomaru barely heard him state.

"That young boy, what's his name…ah yes, Michio. He told me how much you and the DaiYoukai over there have become closer during your stay in my captivity. It was hard for me to believe at first, but then again nothing is impossible when it come to you; am I right, Kagome? With such a tender heart as yours is nothing is impossible. That's why I can't stand you but at the same time it fascinates me so very much. Your lack of prejudice, your pure heart is like nothing I have ever seen before; that's the key to ultimate power I have realized. That, combined with your priestess powers, will produce the perfect child, perfect for my little experiment. I will become the first youkai in history to be completely immune to spiritual attacks. I will be invincible!"

"You are demented, hanyou." She spat while stressing the word hanyou with all the hate she could put in her voice.

His facial expressions closed off once more as he made a signal with his hand for the Chief to move to the front side of Sesshomaru and wait. "Look, little Miko!" He said while grasping Kagome's face and turning her towards the DaiYoukai's position, when she tried to look away from what everyone knew was coming.

"Look and learn, My little Miko. This is entirely your fault after all."

The whipping started anew, only difference was that this time she could clearly see the effects on the previously pristine skin of Sesshomaru's chest.

"This is your fault." He repeated. "No one is going to come. No InuYasha, nobody. No one will come to your rescue Kagome. There is only one way to stop it."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the dark hanyou, even through his pain.

"And now he is hurting and it is entirely all your fault."

Sesshomaru grunted at a really hard hit as the spiked tip touched his jaw, making it bleed.

"Stop, stop…" she whispered brokenly.

"Does that mean you accept my offer, little Miko?" He asked making a sign to interrupt the whipping. She didn't confirm or deny, she just kept saying "stop" over and over again, while sobbing uncontrollably. She turned her head to the side, unable to look towards Sesshomaru, even when he called out "Miko!" Naraku smirked, finally.

"You made the right choice, My little Miko. Only one word from you and I will release Lord Sesshomaru and everything will stop."

Sesshomaru growled as he seethed with anger for being used in such a way.

Just then another ugly lizard demon came rushing into the room. He murmured something into Naraku's ear; his smirk disappearing, which perked Sesshomaru's curiosity.

"Get the prisoners back in their cell, immediately!"

The Chief, who had been enjoying torturing Sesshomaru a little too much, was shocked but closed his hand into a fist before a complaint could get out of his mouth. "Yes, my Lord." He said between gritted teeth, signaling to his two colleagues to get the two prisoners down and move them back to their cell.

…

With no more explanation, they ended up back in their cell; but not before the Chief promised that this wasn't the end of their meeting.

Once in their cell, Sesshomaru looked over the girl, aside from the constant shaking and frightened look she appeared alright. When she seemed to snap out of it, she tried to fuss over his injuries. Though this took him by surprise, how angry she was over the damage done to his body, it quickly turned into annoyance that she would try to fuss over him at a time like this. When she moved to the door, saying that she will ask for something to clean and mend his injuries, he stopped her instantly.

Now really wasn't the time to care for this kind of thing. Women and their priorities, really…_or was it only this woman?_ He thought, shaking his head. Can't she see that this is the perfect opportunity that they have been waiting for? While the girl might not have heard what was said to Naraku, with her inferior human hearing, Sesshomaru had heard perfectly clear what was said. It was the signal they had been waiting for.

Realizing that, while he had been lost in his thoughts, the human had continued to fuss over his injuries and was trying to clean them with water; grabbing her wrists he stopped her. He told her that he will be healed soon and left her gapping when he rose on trembling legs and walked away, towards the wall. She must have seen his back injuries already strating to close because he barely heard her grumble about supernatural unfair healing powers and sighed. Strange human, but he was glad that the idea of his injuries had been enough to keep her from the usual apathy reaction she was in each time she was returned from a visit with Naraku.

While Naraku was more than likely right about her personality, he still didn't like the fact that she had been almost ready to abandon all hope only because of him. Quite frankly, it infuriated him to no end. He left her to tend to her minor, non-life-threatening cuts and wounds. Once he reached the wall, with the stones in it, he started to physically remove the last little bit of the mortar around the stones that was keeping them in place.

He ignored her the first time she asked what he was doing, ignoring her again when she gasped in horror when she saw fumes escaping from the burning of his fingers each time they came into contact with the enchanted stones. When she started to grab his arm and tried to move him away from the wall is when he did not ignore her, he growled at her interference instead.

"Someone stepped within the perimeter of the caves, they are out looking to see if it is a threat or not. Since they are all currently preoccupied, now is the perfect opportunity to take care of what is left to do, and to be ready to take our leave once and for all, Miko."

She gapped at him, like a fish out of water. She seemed to do that a lot more, here recently. Maybe she was finally grasping the importance of the moment…

"I don't think I have ever heard you talk so much at one time!"

…or not. This woman is completely frustrating.

"Get to work woman!" he all but growled out at her.

She was immediately working away, with an eep. Without her knowing it, Sesshomaru looked at her from the corner of his eyes for any sign of the catatonic trans-like state she had been in not too long ago. She had seemed so unreachable at the time and he didn't like it. He did not want to tell her, not wanting to have a panicked human hanging on his arm, on top of everything else, but this was probably their only chance to get out; rather her only chance to get out.

While she seemed to be acting as if nothing dramatic had just happened, he had seen it. He had seen that she had been extremely close to abandoning everything this time, her integrity, her purity, her life, if for only being released from under the pressure and the inappropriate wish and desire to save him from any further harm. Really, how stupid can this woman get?

Sesshomaru was a realist, if he didn't take this opportunity that was offered to them and get them out of this mess this time, he would have to act and insure that Naraku would never have the chance or possibility to sire a child from this Miko. The idea was surprisingly repulsing to him, repulsing him more than anything ever has before. He had done his share of atrocities in his life; hell, he had sprayed this very woman with his toxic and abrasive poison just a few years prior and he wouldn't have even batted an eyelid back then at what he might be forced to do now.

Now though, just the notion of killing her or impairing her so she could never give birth was making him sick, but at the same time he knew he couldn't risk letting Naraku get what he was wanting. Causing her to become barren would be just as good as signing for her execution, since she would be of no help to the dark hanyou's cause anymore. After all, she was there only for this reason and this reason alone; she would not be needed alive if she could not help him. Either way he looked at his two decisions, her blood would be on his hands if they did not get out of here.

He glanced at her again; the most secure thing would be to do something now since no one would be there to stop him. Just a drop of his poison and any further plans Naraku had would be nullified; though if they were able to get free and she lived… He had seen her around many different children, it wasn't too difficult to imagine her with children of her own; she was a natural mother figure. If his hand was responsible for forbidding her to ever carry a child…no, he refused. He will save her, as she is now.

Realizing he has sort of grown use to having the woman around, even if she was driving him insane half of the time with her continuous chattering, so much like his ward in this aspect but the need to have her around made it so much more harder to…no, he didn't like the idea of her death or harming her, even less at his own hand. He knew that forbidding her to be able to reproduce…it would probably be worse than if he had simply killed her, going by her maternal character.

He didn't know how, however, he would make sure that no half-breed would come anywhere near her with their foul intentions. Such a pure being, to taint her with hanyou blood would be a sacrilege and it infuriated him just to think of it. Why even the idea of his half brother, or anyone else for that matter, touching her seemed disgusting and it made him angry, he did not know how but he would find a way to protect her integrity.

He knew that he told her that things would go back to the way they were and he meant it, but keeping her integrity intact was the only thing he would insure to protect even after their escape.

Once the three enchanted stones were free of their prison in the wall, Kagome carried them to the door and, with a drop of his poison; Sesshomaru pasted them on the door itself. She had been skeptical at first but half of his powers were still blocked by the spells so the diluted poison he was able to produce was just enough to infuse a little of the wood in the door and the enchanted stones together.

And now they just had to wait…

88888888888888888888888888

Here you are. Hope you liked it!

Dear Michio, rest in peace.

him been caught, his betrayal, was the declic for Naraku to stop playing around. I would have love to be able to keep him around longer but helas...

so please people, don't hate me for his death.

thank you for reading this chapter!

see you!


	27. Chapter 27: Freedom?

Warning : Really dark chapter (first part). Really gory, an Inu losing control, blood in abundance and bodies reduced in pieces. So sensible souls, you have been warned of the risks. No one capture and beat the demon Lord without being subjected to the consequenses...

Hope you will like it! lol

Disclaimer : I don't own InuYasha.

…

Chapter 27:  
Freedom?

…

Kagome was walking back and forth nervously. Why was it taking so long? To be honest, they have been waiting for probably less than an hour, but to her, it felt like years. She wanted to get out; she wanted to get out now. But if no one comes to see them, they can't do anything but wait and it was driving the poor woman crazy.

She stopped in front of the sitting form of Sesshomaru. It was even more frustrating to see how calm he was acting. She scowled down at him but he only raised an eyebrow in a seemingly innocent yet curious way. She threw her hands in the air in a show of annoyance; his calm demeanor was only frustrating her more. The Inu DaiYoukai, as soon as their little trap was set, had cleaned up a bit of the blood from the earlier assault on his person then sat down. He hasn't moved a finger since. Most of the lacerations were slowly but surely visibly closing up. Kagome was sure that soon, his skin would be it's normal pale and flawless self, as if nothing had even happened. Her thoughts darkened at the unfairness of it all, she was covered from head to toes with scars and he would not even have a blemish. At the same time, it was proof that his powers were partly restored since he was healing quicker now. So, while it was unfair, it was still good news.

"How can you be so calm?" She asked but he only shrugged lightly in response.

"Would you prefer for this Sesshomaru to dig a moat in the rocky ground by walking back and forth like a trapped animal, as you are doing?"

Kagome's cheeks colored with her rage. She had to breathe deeply several times to stay calm and think properly, while trying not to snap at him. Had it been InuYasha, he would have ended up face first on the "rocky ground." She sighed, no matter how much she resented it; he was right.

"No." She answered, dejectedly.

She finally sat down beside him and stayed silent for almost two whole minutes, not that Sesshomaru was counting but it might have been her all time record.

"Do you think Michio talked of us to Naraku?"

She was referring to the moment when the dark hanyou had taunted them by saying that the youngest of their captors had revealed everything he had witnessed happening between Sesshomaru and herself. Sesshomaru had previously told her that even though he didn't trust him, or anyone for that matter, he was sure that Michio was sincere in his wish to help them. He had brought clothes for her, which were now almost just rags and were hardly covering her thanks to Naraku, as well as the potions he brought to help her heal faster, and he had also found the counter spell for Sesshomaru's restraints; so now he could finally start to regain his youki.

After getting over her fear a little, she had to admit that she was inclined to trust the young reptile youkai as well. He had helped them quite a lot after all.

"If he didn't betray us, how does Naraku know that we are helping each other and not at each other's throat? Ok, it seems evident since I'm still breathing, but why did Naraku say it at all?"

"The boy has probably been discovered." He answered after a moment.

Kagome's breath caught in her throat. If the young reptile youkai has been caught trying to help them…she shivered. She preferred not to think about what could have happened to him in that case. While she didn't particularly know the youkai in question, he had helped them at the risk of his life without asking for anything in return. He didn't deserve whatever punishment, the others or even worse Naraku, had more than likely dealt him. She kept some hope alive though.

"Maybe he hasn't been caught yet. If Naraku has killed Michio, don't you think that Naraku would have taunted us with it or that even the others would have reacted negatively towards the death of one of their own clan's members?"

"Hn."

It was a non-commenting answer but Kagome refused to let it dishearten her. The others are of Michio's family, from what she has gathered, yet they didn't even react to Naraku's declaration. Yes, Michio is probably fine or else his family would have said something. She nodded to herself, reassured with her decision for the time being.

If only she knew…

…

In the end, they didn't have to wait more than one hour for their captors to come back. Michio's father and his cohorts were probably in a hurry to get their hands back on Sesshomaru. They have been waiting for so long after all. Naraku promised that as soon as the Miko was secured, they could do anything they wanted to the DaiYoukai. They had seen, just like the DaiYoukai, that the Miko was about to accept Naraku's ultimatum; they couldn't stop the excitement from rising. When they had to stop in the middle of their sessions it was frustrating, and they so wanted to play a bit more with him.

They were told to wait until the Miko accepted her new position and had made the vow to give Naraku a child, nullifying her supposedly divine protection, before they could kill the Western Lord. For some perverse reason, Naraku wanted Sesshomaru to know that He, Naraku, was able to gain a power that even the grand Inu DaiYoukai could only ever dream of. He wanted to rub it in his face before sending him to the other side. While the idea was great, it still left them frustrated; they had the DaiYoukai in their hands but they were not allowed to crush him yet. It was hell to resist the temptation, but they were bidding their time. Naraku also stated, at the same time, 'there was to be no killing,' he didn't say anything about them not being able to maim!

Sesshomaru was one of the Lords who had participated in the elimination of their previous master, resulting in the massacre of almost their entire clan; to finally have the chance of taking their revenge was something they didn't want to miss. Who cares what atrocities their new Lord had in mind for one of the favored humans of the Kami; all they wanted was for Sesshomaru to die, as soon as possible and in the most painful of ways.

However, they should have known better. They should have known that it would not be that easy. This DaiYoukai has a reputation of being invincible and he shows no mercy, ever. Hell, even his name screams of this truth; they should have stayed away. They should have taken advantage of their freedom and not made a deal with Naraku. Whatever happens now, they should have guessed, however it was too late for all of them now…

…

When they activated the spell; Sesshomaru, instead of going towards the wall, was projected towards the door, which was the furthest thing from him so he could build up momentum. The impact was so violent that he ended up in the corridor, in a rain of door fragments. Everything was happening so fast that Kagome didn't know what was going on. She covered her eyes and coughed as dust and debris was sent flying everywhere. When it finally cleared, she looked around; there was no trace of Sesshomaru and the door had been completely pulverized. This could only mean one thing…they succeeded! Sesshomaru was free!

She stepped slowly, being cautious to not get any of the wood pieces stuck in her bare feet and timidly peered outside the cell. One hand immediately rose to her mouth in an attempt to stop the rising bile at the display in front of her.  
One of their captors must have been by the door when the spell had been activated, or at least she believed it might have been ONE of their captors, it was difficult to be sure it was only one with the mess Sesshomaru had done to the youkai. The Inu really did a number on it. The youkai had been reduced to pieces, literally; blood was splashed everywhere with a chunks of flesh and tissue mixed with it making it hard to tell if it was more than one body.

In the middle of the carnage, the DaiYoukai of the West stood, his body still pulsating with his fury. She had never seen him look so feral before; even that day, in his father's tomb, he looked rather friendly compared to now. It was in that instance that she finally realized that he was deserving of his name, more so now than she had ever thought before in the past. She could see the formidable and deadly DaiYoukai that he was and she didn't know what to think or feel about it, much less how to react and respond.

She could feel the warm blood under her feet now. It was truly disgusting but it was unavoidable as blood was painted everywhere, on the ground, walls, and most likely the ceiling too if she were brave enough to look up. She eeped and jumped away when she realized that she had almost stepped on one of the hands of the dead youkai, which was lying innocently by her foot.

She had been in battles before, so she has seen her fair share of blood and gore; InuYasha wasn't the kind to fight 'cleanly' after all, but never had she seen anything this horrible. She constantly had to fight her gag reflexes when she saw what she could only guess was part of the entrails of the defeated youkai lying by Sesshomaru's feet. Blood was still dripping from his clawed fingers. The youkai must not have realized what was happening and probably died quickly, if not horribly, in a blink of an eye; more than likely it was still too good of a death for this vile youkai.

She didn't have time to analyze the situation any more as she saw the two furious youkai charge them. She only had time to jump out of the way as the last of Michio's uncles tried to cut her in half, Michio's father decided to go after Sesshomaru. She rolled on the floor, the clawed hands zipping really close to her head. She tried to not think about what she was rolling around in, as she avoided his constant attacks. She was lucky that he was too distracted by his fallen brother; which made his attacks sloppy enough for her to guess which direction he would attack from next, much like InuYasha's method for attack. She winced as her neck began to burn under her collar, as her weakened powers tried to rise to her defense. He took advantage of this by pulling out his sword and aimed it towards her, seriously reducing any and all chances for Kagome to get out of this in one piece.

"I don't care what Naraku wants with you anymore. You…Are…Dead!" He hissed vehemently through his clenched yellow teeth.

She gulped, knowing she was probably facing her death and it wasn't pretty, in any way, shape or form. She could hear the fierce battle raging between Sesshomaru and Michio's father just to the other side and knew that she was alone; she would have to fight if she wished to live. She grabbed one of the door fragments in her trembling hands for defense. Screaming a bloody war-cry he charged her, she tried to avoid his attack while raising the piece of wood in defense; his sword came down so hard on the fragment that the force alone sent it flying out of her hands, throwing her onto the floor at the same time. She looked up just in time to see raise his sword over his head, yellow bulbous eyes with deadly intent fixated upon her; breathlessly she closed her eyes, waiting for the hit that she knew she would not be able to avoid.

When the pain never came, she opened one eye only to see her attacker was still standing there, while his head fell and rolled towards her. She screamed and crawled backwards as quickly as her sore muscles would permit so it would not touch her. She let out a cry of disgust when the rest of the body finally fell, spraying blood all over her.

After the shock finally wore off she looked up towards her savior only to see Sesshomaru in all his bloody glory, one of the uglies' sword lay in his hand; he was completely covered in blood from head to toes. In almost every fight she had ever seen the DaiYoukai in before, he was always able to keep his white clothes pristinely clean, but it didn't seem to bother him to be so utterly dirty and covered this time around. She would know because of the events of the last couple of months; during each fight with InuYasha, while she kept an eye on her 'protectors' condition, it was the older brother that her attention was fixated upon. She tried to tell Sango that she was only watching Sesshomaru because he was a flawless swordsman and it was like watching a dance, while InuYasha just jumped head first without grace. Sango hadn't been convinced and didn't like Kagome's fascination for the DaiYoukai at all. Kagome couldn't help the attraction though; it's almost like as soon as he would appear somewhere, her eyes couldn't help but to be drawn to him. She might not have been very fond of him early on but there has always been something about him, something lethal, that seems to draw her in when in his presence; like a moth to a flame.

Shaking her head to get rid of images from the past, she stared up to him for a moment; waiting to see what he would do next. She saw the most peculiar expression pass across his face, but it was gone before she could interpret it.

Sesshomaru schooled his face. He won't admit it aloud but his heart seemed to have skipped a beat or two as he glanced towards Kagome, to see how she was doing, only to see one of their captors ready to kill her. He quickly thrust the sword, which he had stolen from the first youkai, into the stomach of Michio's father before jumping towards the other. She was his to protect and he was about to fail in that task.

However, it wasn't because of this which shocked him the most; a shock that sent a tremor to his very core. When he had gazed down at her prone body to be sure she was in one piece, after killing her assailant; something happened that he didn't much care for. While she had been half spread on the ground; what was left of her yukata was sloppy, blood was everywhere including splashed on her face, she should have been a horrible spectacle. But at this moment, in the dancing glow of the lanterns, she had never seemed more magnificent or attractive to him.

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to scowl at his wayward thoughts. Yes, the grand and impassible Lord Sesshomaru had felt something stir within him, at the sight of this human Miko. It was laughable, inconceivable. It was completely absurd…but it still stayed true. He could not deny it anymore.

"Where is the other youkai?" She asked in confusion, effectively stirring Sesshomaru from his current thoughts. He looked to the spot where he left the stabbed chief and obviously he wasn't there anymore. Sesshomaru glanced towards the only direction the youkai could have taken and chased after him. As he walked quickly in that direction he could hear the loud footsteps of Kagome, even with her bare feet, as she was trying to run after him.

Up ahead he could see the chief trying to run, but with the quantity of blood he was losing, he wouldn't get very far or live for much longer at that. Sesshomaru could see the outside world with the exit from the cave appearing just in front of the youkai they were approaching. He slowed down as Michio's father fell to the ground and began to crawl towards the exit.

As they approached the chief, instead of trying to get out like they both thought he would do, he instead struggled to his feet and touched a marking beside the door and as the marking lit up, the exit vanished in a flash; the exit had completely disappeared and became a normal, smooth rock surface.

Michio's father slid down the wall and finally plopped heavily to the ground with a grunt. He began to cackle evilly, only to have to stop when he almost choked on his own blood. He settled himself there, finally snickering from time to time between the constant mouthfuls of blood that he was choking on.

"You will never get out of here now. These tunnels are only known to those of my clan. You are now trapped within these cave walls forever." Blood ran down the corner of his mouth as he snickered and coughed, before he added. "You are already as good as dead Lord Sesshomaru."

Kagome gasped in horror as she finally realized exactly what the chief had done; peering up to Sesshomaru she saw his eyes become darker and darker with every breath he inhaled. Then, within a nanosecond, his hand was around the neck of Michio's father, growling viciously. The reptilian youkai, who was now suspended in the air, winced as Sesshomaru menacingly pierced the skin of his neck; this however didn't stop the chief from smiling mockingly in Sesshomaru's face.

"You…have…Lost!" He choked out.

Enraged, Sesshomaru snarled in his face. He tightened his hold on the chief's neck and injected his toxic poison. He then sent the chief flying against the far wall, though it might have hurt him, that wasn't what made the reptilian youkai release a strangled scream. The skin of his neck bubbled up and ripped open sending a gush of blood everywhere. His body was then taken over by convulsions, as he was slowly drowning in his own blood. Kagome wanted to look away from the nightmarish scene but she couldn't pry her eyes away as wave after wave of blood and poison escaped the damaged neck.

It was at this time when Kagome realized that Sesshomaru had only injected a small dose of his corrosive poison into the chief, because Michio's father was still thrashing about on the ground after a good whole minute; still trying to breathe. Having been on the receiving end of his poison before, she knew that it could have reduced his neck to nothing in just a couple of seconds. Kagome fought her stomach again from heaving as she began to realize, that Sesshomaru wanted him to suffer; it was very evident by his actions. Though she could understand his rage, it was still frightening to witness something that must not happen too often; Sesshomaru was losing his control. It soon became apparent that even this wasn't enough to tamper down the furious Inu, nor was it slow enough. The DaiYoukai, with a rage filled growl, lost the last of his patience and attacked, or rather, pounced on Michio's father to make sure that he would never again mock him.

Sensing that she was losing the battle against the rising bile in her throat, at frightening speed; Kagome turned away from the site. She couldn't watch it anymore, it was really too much. She closed her eyes tightly and covered her ears with her hands but it was not enough, it did not prevent her from hearing the last scream of the reptilian youkai and the atrocious noises of muscles ripping and bones dislocating and breaking.

Blind rage had taken control of Sesshomaru. He was aware of this but all the frustration and fury accumulated during the last couple of weeks were too much to contain anymore. Seeing their escape route being closed just in front of their noses was just too much, even for the master of self-control that Sesshomaru was known for.

When he finally started to calm down, while still breathing heavily, nothing but a pile of unrecognizable flesh was left of what had once been the chief. This chief would be the last chief of this clan. They dared to ally themselves with Naraku, to kidnap him, torture and beat him and the Miko, and now had the audacity to trap them in the cave's tunnels with little chance of getting out; he would be seeking every last member's blood, of this clan.

Sesshomaru then sprayed a very potent dose of his poison on what was left of the youkai to completely annihilate him from existence. When the DaiYoukai regained complete control again and consciousness of where he was, he realized that the human woman had been there, with him, the entire time and had witnessed his lapse of control. He turned slowly, expecting her to have run away from the monster he truly was, but he saw her still standing there; a little ways away from him, with her back turned to him. Her hands were covering her ears and she probably even had her eyes closed tightly, knowing her. For the first time ever the DaiYoukai was uncertain. Will she be disgusted by him now? Will she regret having ever helped him to survive now that she has witnessed the monster hidden under his skin? It was one thing to know what he was capable of, but another altogether to witness what his darker side could really do.

It should not matter, what a human thought of him; after all, most of them already thought that he was a monster. Strange enough the thought of her regretting her pact with him just wasn't sitting well with him for some reason. This made him think of his ward too. Sesshomaru always tried, as much as he could, to make sure that Rin never witnessed any open fights. If Rin had witnessed what just happened, would she then start fearing him? What had gained Sesshomaru's curiosity of her in the past had been the fact that she was unafraid of him; that's what compelled him to test Tenseiga and save her that day, after the wolves had attacked her. Would she look at him differently now if she had been a witness to this?

He walked slowly and uncertainly towards Kagome, stopping once he stood in front of her, waiting for her reaction.

"Miko?" He called out softly, just loud enough for her to hear him when she didn't move.

Her eyes slid open as her worried blue eyes immediately zeroed in on his face. She seemed to be looking for something and Sesshomaru decided to stay as immobile as a statue, letting her finish her examination of his person.

Her face cleared a little then; maybe she found it, whatever it was she was looking for.

"It's done then?"

He just mutely nodded.

"Ok." She simply said as her hands slipped from her ears. She cutely rubbed her nose, probably because of the odors from what was, or rather had been, just a few feet from her back.

"So, hm, this exit is closed. What do we do now?" She asked then, looking expectantly up towards him.

Sesshomaru was in shock, to put it simply, that she wasn't saying anything about what he just did. She, who couldn't stand to see anyone get hurt, had been witness to one of the goriest deaths ever to exist; though she seems a bit awkward, she wasn't saying anything to the perpetrator. It was evident that she was making sure to not look in the direction of the carnage, but she didn't comment or look at him differently as he had thought she would; as anyone else probably would do. She was afraid, but her fear seemed to really be because they were now trapped in the tunnels.

Sesshomaru sighed inaudibly as an unknown feeling crept within him. He hadn't realized it at first, but he had expected her to yell at him for the unnecessary violence, to look at him with disgust or fear; to ignore him completely even. He even thought of the possibility of an attack from her for being unnecessarily cruel; however nothing came about. This girl always seems to find ways to surprise him; one way or the other. Sesshomaru realized then that what he was feeling was actual relief.

A new respect took hold of his heart; this Miko, this human…this woman, was truly unique.

Kagome looked up into the eyes of the DaiYoukai. She knew she should probably be afraid after what she had just witnessed him do, but she couldn't muster anything of the sort. While it might have been over kill and completely grossed her out, she knew that most people would have done something similar. Ok, maybe not like that, but she knew that for youkai it was different; retribution would always be met with more blood and gore than it would have been if it were a human instead of a youkai. She felt different now, she would have possibly wished to have gone after their captors with a baseball bat as soon as she was free; it would not have been pretty either.

She understood that after everything that had happened, all the mockeries from Michio's father had literally been the last draw that finally snapped Sesshomaru's control. When Sesshomaru sighed and his shoulders unlocked, she realized that he had expected some sort of a violent reaction from her for what he just did. While she could not condone that kind of things, she understood where Sesshomaru was coming from; he wasn't human therefore he didn't think like one. Moreover, if she could stay by InuYasha's side after witnessing the disembowelment and death his youkai could do while disturbingly smile and enjoying it, how could she blame Sesshomaru for the loss of control after so much abuse and disrespect that has accumulated? The answer was simple, she couldn't.

…

After making sure that no other youkai was running through the corridors, they started to look inside the other cells. In one they found what could have been qualified as an armory, and, to their surprise, they found Sesshomaru's swords and armor, some clothes and Kagome's bag, more like what was left of her bag that is. Their captors seemed to have gone through everything that was inside it, from her reserves of food to her secret tampon box; it was truly disturbing. Most of her clothes had been destroyed for some reason or another, the only thing in good shape was her pajamas. After some hesitation, she took a clean set of underwear that seemed to still be folded, which hoped that they didn't put their dirty fingers on it, and placed it in her bag with her pajamas. Her first-aid box had been completely emptied. Only a few band-aids and a couple of things, they probably didn't know what they were, was left untouched. Still, she was able to find a cereal bar at the bottom of the bag and immediately devoured it.

She heard a click behind her and turned around just in time to see Sesshomaru destroying the bands that had been placed on him. It seemed like, now that he was out of the cell, all he had to do was to grind or cut the metal in order to be free. Kagome decided to try and summon her powers but cried out as the collar around her neck burned her. A dry blood covered clawed hand came into her field of vision as she was trying to regain her breath. A spark made her flinch when Sesshomaru's fingers made contact with the metal of her collar.

"The spell is still active." He said simply.

He was still unable to remove it from her. What was she going to do if she couldn't get it off? Tears of frustration rose in her eyes when she realized that not only were they still trapped in the tunnels but her powers were still imprisoned too. Funny, her powers were freer when she was imprisoned within the cell. She pushed away the morbid idea that she would never be free of the collar and instead she gathered everything that was salvageable from her belongings and put them back in her bag.

After cleaning up a bit the blood they were covered with, as much as they could with only water, Sesshomaru quickly found clothes that would be big enough for him and donned his armor, meanwhile Kagome put her pajamas and underwear on quickly. It wasn't the best thing to wear for some underground exploration but it was all she had, of her own, and the other clothes in the room were just too big for her.

The pink pajamas with fluffy sheep jumping happily along the hem of the shirt she wore, had Sesshomaru raise an eyebrow towards her; she ignored it as much as she could. She had raised her nose in the air, trying to look as dignified as she could, to cover up her embarrassment. Her cheeks tinted pink when she glanced out of the corner of her eye towards him; she saw the amusement clearly in the DaiYoukai's eyes. So what? They were really comfortable and had been on sale at a very good price; huffing she left the room and the DaiYoukai behind. She could have sworn that she heard a chuckle from behind as she left out of the room; must have been her imagination though, right?

…

They continued to look to see what was behind all of the cell doors. Most of the cells were empty in this particular corridor though. They deduced that it must be were the reptilian youkai lived, their living quarters, since they found several cells with beds and personal things. Kagome tried not to think too much about what must have happened to all of the owners who once possessed all of those objects.

Finally, they found the storage room. It wasn't until this moment that Kagome finally realized how hungry Sesshomaru has been all this time; with how much he ate. She felt truly guilty for not having realized it earlier; it was obvious now though. After all, a big grown male like him, if she had been starving, it must have been worse for Sesshomaru. She packed up as much food as she could carry in her bag without slowing herself down and they continued on with their exploration.

She was about to open the first door of another corridor when Sesshomaru's hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her.

"What is it?"

He appeared displeased by something but he only shook his head slightly while his hand fell back to his side. "Don't."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at him in confusion.

"Why?"

When he didn't answer, she bypassed his warning and pushed the door open wider. She stepped inside and, as soon as her eyes adjusted to the low light coming from the corridor, she screamed.

The minute she opened the door, the smell of death had assaulted his nose. Apparently, all the cells in this underground labyrinth were like their own cell's door; no sound or smell would come out as long as the door was closed. He tried to stop her, knowing she would be upset; he did not want to have to wait for her to compose herself so they could continue their exploration, as it is they don't have time to waste, but she stubbornly ignored the warning and went inside anyways.

She was screaming because there, on the floor surrounded by books and scrolls, was none other than the young youkai that tried to help them; his body abandoned there, like you would an old toy, his head was twisted in an unnatural angle. Kagome closed her eyes finally, but all she could see was the frozen expression of terror evident on Michio's face. He had been terrified by something or someone. Sesshomaru had been right, the boy's betrayal had been discovered and he had paid a severe price for it. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stepped out of the room, unable to look at his contorted body any longer.

Sesshomaru did not pay more than a glance at the distressed Miko, who was saddened by the scene, as she ran out of the room. Taking a deep breath in, he could still detect the faint scent of Naraku. The dark Hanyou was effectively responsible for shortening the life of their only ally in this Hell. While not surprised, it did anger the DaiYoukai of the West none the less.

From the swiftness of the kill and the fact that the body was still here for anyone to come across, it told Sesshomaru that Naraku had been in a hurry. Bending down, he looked through Michio's clothes, just to be sure nothing was left behind; he found a piece of parchment. Maybe the boy had been closer to finding a way to free them than Sesshomaru originally thought. Upon reading through what was written down in a strange language, which looked a bit like some of the languages you could find on the mainland and the translation into kanji, he soon realized that he wasn't looking at the spell of their cell but rather the one around the Miko's neck. He glanced furtively at the shaking back of the Miko just outside of the doorway; she was crying. He very well might have what was needed to undo the spell on her collar and finally free her powers. Unfortunately, spells were not his thing and most instructions and ingredients seemed to be in another tongue, not in Japanese. Deciding to safe keep this for later, Sesshomaru scanned the room rapidly with his eyes, then left.

He decided against informing the woman about the boy's findings, not knowing it is would work at all; he refused to upset her further in case if didn't work, he instead placed it within one of his pockets. As he began to walk away from the room, he was stopped by a question from the Miko.

"Are we leaving? What about Michio?" She asked through a pathetic sniffle.

He ignored her; it was enough of an answer as far as he was concerned.

"We can't leave him here!" She said, grabbing his loose sleeve.

"We can't just leave him here rotting with the others after all that he did for us! He deserves a proper burial!"

Sesshomaru's patience was still running low; turning to face her with narrowed eyes fixed on her hand, demanding her to release him, with his eyes alone, which she did as if they burnt her.

"This Sesshomaru understands but there is nothing we can do now."

"But…"

"This Sesshomaru would like to point out that, while he appreciated the help the boy offered, he has no intention of wandering through these tunnels, for who knows how long, with his decaying body."

When he saw the realization dawn on Kagome's face he continued on his way through the cave's tunnels. Her soft heart was really starting to become a pain.

She looked one last time, over her shoulder, towards the door hiding the dead body of the young youkai. She wondered if she might have just seen the last representative of this entire clan; decimated by war, betrayal, and their own pleasure in inflicting pain on others. While she could care less for the life of the others; Michio made her realize that even if your background, your family and your environment, influences what you are suppose to be; some are still able to fight the odds. Their young ally had been the perfect example of this; unfortunately, crossing the dark Hanyou's path had made him pay the ultimate price. The entire clan will more than likely be extinct, if they weren't already, all because of Naraku. This thought alone made Kagome sad. While following behind Sesshomaru, she sent a silent prayer for Michio's soul and hoped the Kamis would pardon the rest of the clan for what they did, because she wasn't sure she could.

After many long minutes of silence, they arrived in front of another corridor full of cells; Kagome realized that there could be other prisoners still within them. However when they opened the doors, one after the other, they only found rotting corpses of chained monks, priest, and priestesses and a couple of youkai as well. When Sesshomaru opened the first door, he knew what he would find before seeing it and that it was probably going to be the same for all the other cells. This thought however would not deter his companion from checking each one out.

The smell was revolting, even for Kagome's nose. At the sight and scent of the first of many weeks-old rotting corpses, Kagome threw up. Still, she insisted to have all the doors opened to be sure that there wasn't any survivors left behind. In one cell, they found two bodies burnt to death. One was obviously youkai and the other a human, which appeared to have been a female. Sesshomaru pondered if he might be looking as the outcome of a humanoid youkai and a human Miko; could this be the result of 'the Kami's protection?" The Kamis weren't known for their subtlety and it would not surprise the DaiYoukai of the West if the 'protection' of the sanctity of a priestess's body would end up killing not only the attacker but the victim as well.

Kagome's body was trembling with her sobs. He couldn't understand how she could be so affected by the fate of all of these complete strangers. It was sad yes, even he could admit that, but not to the extent of the Miko's current condition; it just didn't make any sense to him. The Inu found himself questioning once again if her big heart wasn't like a double-edged sword, more trouble than it was really worth.

They finally stepped out of the corridor with all of the cells and started to go deeper into the mountain. They took two torches from the wall before leaving to begin the exploration of the tunnels further. It was as if a cloud of melancholy was enveloping Kagome, changing even her scent; the DaiYoukai did not like this one bit.

"Stop it!" He said without even glancing back to her.

"Hm?" Kagome said as she brushed aside another tear and raised her head to look at Sesshomaru's back. She was puzzled for a moment but then realized that, much like InuYasha, he might not like the scent of her tears.

"I can't help it." She said as an apology. Then anger reared its head; her hands closed in tight fists. "So many innocent beings died, and for what? For a crazy power hungry Hanyou? And Michio…"

"Do not feel sorry for him, Miko."

"Why not? He died because of us, because he wanted to help us; if it wasn't for us, he would still be alive. He was too young." She almost shouted as she brushed angrily at more tears on her cheeks.

Sesshomaru turned his head to look at her then.

"The boy knew the risks when he decided to offer his services. He wanted to recover the honor of his family's clan; by righting what he knew was wrong. This Sesshomaru isn't saying that you shouldn't feel sad or angry, it is not this Sesshomaru's place, but you shouldn't pity the boy or feel guilty. Pity would strip him of the honor he received through his sacrifice, for a just cause. Do you understand Miko?"

Sniffling pitifully, Kagome nodded. She should have known that it was about honor, it's always about honor. Everything was about honor when dealing with Sesshomaru; still, she couldn't help but to feel a little bit guilty. She understood that she wasn't responsible for his death, Naraku was completely to blame; it was still difficult to accept that an adolescent, a boy, died because he was trying to save her. Sighing, she followed the DaiYoukai of the West once again through the tunnels.

…

After hours of walking, they finally took a break. Kagome didn't want to complain but her feet felt like they were covered in blisters. The shoes, which she had found in the armory and clothing area, were too big for her; even with the two pair of socks she was able to rescue from her bag. As soon as Sesshomaru called for a stop, she sat down and removed the shoes to let her feet breath. Of course she had been right, there were blisters on her heels, little toes, and even one under her left foot. After some hesitation on what to do, she opened the front pocket of her bag and found the needle she always hid in it. After sterilizing the point by the fire of the only torch still working, she pierced the bumps filled with water. Sensing the heavy gaze of her companion, she said without raising her head.

"I'm piercing the blisters to empty them. I know that people say you shouldn't do it but I always do it. It's like when I have a pimple; I can't help but to pierce it as soon as I can. Tomorrow, my feet should be healed enough for them not to hurt too much. I will keep the sores clean but open none the less, and in the morning I will apply bandages were they are needed before we leave." She knew she was babbling and he probably wasn't even listening to what she was saying but it helped her to think of something else, something other than the bodies they had left behind and the fact that they were now trapped within these tunnels until they found another exit, if there even was another exit.

She cleaned off her fingers with a wipe she found and opened the other part of her backpack. She took several pieces of dry meat out that she had taken earlier and held them out towards Sesshomaru. After a couple of seconds, the DaiYoukai reached for them, inclining his head. She offered a small smile in welcome and gathered a few more for herself.

After their short meal, Kagome felt the tiredness of the day catch up to her. Her sleeping bag had been reduced to pieces, for who knows what reason, by their captors, which left her with a blanket she took from the clothing area. After lying down, all she could do was to toss and turn because she was cold and couldn't get comfortable. The tunnels were too damp to sleep on the ground; too damp, too cold, and too hard.

"Hn."

She froze mid-movement, at the familiar non-commenting sound, reminding her that she wasn't alone. Sesshomaru was sitting against the wall in a position almost identical to the one he had taken when they were in the cell; his armor was deposited at his side. Still wrapped in her blanket, she slowly crawled to the other side where he was; when he didn't react, she sat down close to him and let her head rest on his shoulder. She stayed tense a moment but when Sesshomaru didn't push her away, she relaxed. She sighed in contentment at the warmth emanating from his body and let her eyes slide shut. Once again, for who knows how many times already, Kagome found herself grateful and thanking any and all Kamis, that would hear her, for making the DaiYoukai be with her during this whole ordeal.

After a moment, as she was already at the door of sleep, she felt Sesshomaru's arm slip loosely around her waist; keeping her at his side and preventing her from falling, she couldn't help the smile from blooming on her lips; thankfulness as she fell into a peaceful sleep, the small nice gesture of her companion escorting her to her dreamland. Unknowingly, his warm presence at her side, kept the nightmares and memories of the day's events at bay the entire night, giving her the sleep she desperately needed.

…

The next day, as Kagome opened her eyes, the tunnel they were in was pitch-black. As if sensing the panic mounting within her, she felt the arm around her tighten minutely; reminding her of the DaiYoukai she was still leaning against.

"The fire died out." He said, really close to her ear. She shivered and unconsciously moved a bit closer to him.

"I…I have a lamp torch in my bag but I don't know how long it will work." She whispered, the darkness making her uneasy.

"Can you, hm, reach for my bag?" She inquired and felt Sesshomaru move only to feel the heavy weight of her bag on her legs a moment later. By touch only, she felt around in her bag and after a couple of tentative minutes, she finally found the lamp torch.

She switched it on and felt the DaiYoukai tense up at her side.

"It's ok; it's not dangerous at all. See!" She said, demonstrating by putting her hand on it. Swiftly, the Inu took it from her hands and looked at it every which way until he had inspected every angle.

"What kind of sorcery is this?" He asked finally, starting to shake it.

"Don't do that or you will break it!"

She snatched if back and cradled it to her chest protectively; it was her only source of light after all.

"It's not magic, just some invention from where I come from."

"Hn."

With the lamp torch's help, Kagome grabbed some jerky from the backpack and a water bottle. They ate in silence and after taking care of her feet and putting everything back in the bag, she stood up.

She looked at Sesshomaru's back curiously as he stepped just in front of her without saying anything.

"What…? Oh! Thank you!" She said softly, touched by his action. He had loosened his clothing a bit so she could hold the cloth by the opening of his armor.

"Hn."

She grabbed the back of Sesshomaru's haori after switching off her lamp torch to economize the batteries and let him lead her in the dark, trusting him completely to protect her. She let out a giggle when she realized that she was blind in the dark and that he, the terrible Inu DaiYoukai Lord of the West, was leading her. Sesshomaru effectively was her Blind Seeing Eye Dog! The male in question stopped when the sound escaped her traitorous lips. She could almost see him looking at her with one eyebrow raised.

"It's nothing!" She told him, biting her lip to prevent any other sound from escaping. The urge to laugh was enormous and it was a relief to feel it. She had been feeling that she would never have another opportunity to laugh ever again.

"Hn."

Sesshomaru didn't even bother to try to understand the woman; it would probably drive him crazy anyways. His heart was light, pleased by her trust in him to lead her through the darkness safely. She couldn't see anything and the fact that she didn't even hesitate once to put all her faith in his ability to protect her from harm, when she was as defenseless as a newborn pup, was a huge boost to his ego. While he couldn't see in the dark more than vague forms, this combined with his strong sense of smell, made walking through the tunnels seem like child's play.

Another proof that his impression of this particular human had changed, since the beginning of their adventure in the dark tunnels; the idea of blaming her for being weak and inferior to him because she was totally lost in the dark, didn't even touch his thoughts once.

…

On their third day of wandering through the tunnels, Kagome was starting to lose hope. She was drained of her energy, a good portion of the food she packed had been eaten even though she had tried to ration it, but after walking almost the whole day; they both needed a minimum of nutrients or she was sure in her case, that she wouldn't be able to put a foot in front of the other the following day. As it was Sesshomaru was being forced to stop more often because her leg's muscles were so tired that they were constantly cramping on her. While she was glad that they were finally going up after two days of going down, they were probably still far from any form of an exit, if an exit even existed that is.

Suddenly Sesshomaru stopped so abruptly that she almost collided into his back. She heard the distinctive noise of him sniffing the air, a noise she would always be able to distinguish after all of her time spent in the company of the canine youkai breed.

"What is it?" She asked with trepidation and a little bit of hope.

Sesshomaru was finally able to feel two things that marked this day as a good one. One was they were going back up and the air was getting less heavy, which really meant they were close to the surface again. Second he smelled water mixed with sulfur.

"Water!" He simply said but it was enough to send Kagome into a jumping fit of happiness, her tiredness was almost forgotten. What little water she was able to take had run out the day before due to their menu. The dry meat was making them thirsty and their long walk in the heavy atmosphere of the tunnels wasn't helping at all.

What they found wasn't only water, but a natural hot spring inside one of the tunnels. Kagome decided then and there that they will not leave this spot until morning. It had probably been used in the past because there was some bowls around the water from what she could see with her lamp torch. Excited, she dropped her bag and practically skipped to the edge of water. She reached out to touch the water to test the temperature when she almost jumped out of her skin as Sesshomaru forcefully stopped her. She was about to ask why, frustrated to have her joy spoiled when she saw him sniff the air close to the water and then put the tip of his fingers in it and finally touch it to his lips. He was making sure it wasn't dangerous before allowing her to touch it, she realized. He shocked her with his thoughtfulness more and more every day she thought, blushing at the implication.

"Hm…Is it ok?" She asked tentatively.

He nodded and rose. Kagome then went immediately to her bag, lamp torch in hand and pulled out what she had been able to save from her bathing kit and her empty bottles of water. A clicking noise made her turn around abruptly and watch in awe as Sesshomaru hit two stones with one another and lit up the bowls of oil. Finally, Kagome could see something else than obscurity and thanked him.

The fact that this hot spring had bowls with oil still in them only furthered prove to Sesshomaru that they were getting closer to an exit. While the bath seemed to not have been used in the last few weeks, the place being void of any scent besides sulfur, the area wasn't completely abandoned. That was why the Inu didn't protest when Kagome said that they should stop here for the night.

She approached the water and asked attentively if he wanted to take the first turn in the bath and when he started to unbuckle his armor she took it for a yes and left him there after refilling the water bottles. She wasn't sure about the taste but it was better than nothing and Sesshomaru said it was safe. She was so happy at the prospect of washing that she left him to wash up first so she would be able to take her time afterwards. While she ate some, she tried to not make it too obvious that she was blushing. It was difficult to not think about the fact that the DaiYoukai, a fine specimen of a male, was completely naked just a few feet behind her, especially when she could even hear him move in the water.

She lowered her head so he would not see her red face when a dripping wet Inu entered her sight's perimeter. She cleared her throat, looking at everything but the DaiYoukai when she told him that he could have anything he wanted from her bag.

Reaching the bank, she made sure that Sesshomaru was facing the other side before she started to disrobe. She then realized that he would never be interested in her human body and relaxed. 'I'm so stupid sometimes!' She mentally laughed at herself.

Sesshomaru forced himself to swallow the piece of dry meat he had in his mouth when his ears twitched on their own accord as he listened to the tell tale sounds of the Miko's clothing falling on the ground and then her paddle cautiously in the water. After a moment though, probably forgetting about his presence altogether, she started to splash happily in the water after a couple of tense minutes of hesitation about disrobing in his presence.

He was trying to be honorable and stay turned away to give her the privacy she would want, but her playing the water nymph behind his back wasn't easy to ignore. At some point she must have slipped and let out a small cry, making Sesshomaru turn around reflexively and he froze completely at the sight that beheld him. He knew that she probably couldn't see that he was looking at her, with how little light there was, but it wasn't an excuse. He shouldn't be looking since he knew she was fine. Then why was he still starring, eyes fixed on the point she disappeared in the water?

She then rose from the water, in which Sesshomaru got quite a show and forgot everything about honor or even breathing at that moment. His eyes followed the droplets of water as they slid down her body. She gathered her hair to one side and wringed as much water as she could before sending her hair flying backwards, unknowingly arching her back to the appreciative golden eyes, that was her audience. The fact that she was doing this innocently was making it all the more arousing. Sesshomaru had rarely watched a scene as erotic as this and he felt his hakama constrict almost instantly. He reached for one of the bottle of water and drank the whole thing in just a few greedy gulps to try to calm his racing heart beat.

Mixed feelings invaded his mind, not for the first time either. He had never been attracted, sexually or otherwise, by a human before and while his immediate and strong reaction shocked him a little; it wasn't the first time this thought crossed his mind when it concerned this particular human. It was true that he hadn't indulged in a long time and he was really overdue; however he couldn't, in good conscience, put everything, his reactions, his urge to protect, to touch, to taste her, all under the fact that he hadn't had any intercourse in a long time. Having the immense control that he does, partaking in this kind of activities doesn't occur too often, as most females drop over each other to be the chosen one; only to try and trap him into a mating afterwards, but he still had to go through with it to make the pressure go down every once in a while. While it might have been the longest he stayed without indulging in a good rut, it wasn't the root of his problematic reactions, or he would have been having the same kind of control problems in his castle before his capture. This was not the case however this time.

She was now clothed with a clean outfit and, when she bent down to gather her pajamas and bathing things; it was a test, for the master of control, which he passed…barely. He had to restrain himself to not reach for his twitching aroused organ or simply pounce on the tasty morsel exposed to his eyes. He couldn't continue this way.

Thoughts and possibilities passed through his mind at a blinding speed and when he turned around to face the opposite direction from his previous position, a decision was reached.

He couldn't ignore it anymore. Something has to be done…


	28. Chapter 28: Lost of control

Hello dears!

Finally the new update is here.

Thanks to Pandora for the beta-work.

**Warning**: Be aware, hot chapter coming! Yes, you read right, if lemons aren't your thing, skip this chapter. Don't worry, if you don't read this chapter, you still will be able to understand the storyline. You have been warned! As for you, my other perverted friends, have fun! ^_^

Disclaimer : I don't own InuYasha

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Chapter 28 :

Lost of control

…...

Kagome came back to his side, smile on her lips, almost skipping with how happy she was to finally be clean. Her actions proved that she was unaware that he had been observing her as she bathed. Sesshomaru knew her character well enough to know that if she had been aware of his indiscretion, her return would have been with less smiles and more screaming. This time, in place of her pajamas, she was wearing a simple haori which was obviously ten times too big for her; effectively being big enough to almost reach her knees.

With only the glow of the bowls around the hot spring, Kagome hadn't been able to distinguish exactly the scars marring her skin, which she was quite happy about. She didn't want to spoil her good mood and was almost able to forget where she was and their current predicament for the few wonderful minutes she had been in the warm water. Rationally she knew that she shouldn't be too happy; after all, she was still trapped in the cave with Sesshomaru and her powers were still locked. On the positive side though, there were no 'uglies' captors tormenting them and no dement power-hungry hanyou torturing her, it was just Sesshomaru, whom she trusted completely, and herself. He would find the exit, of this she was sure of. It had been so long since her optimism showed its face that she almost joyfully giggled at her thoughts. Oh she had no delusions; she knew it probably would not last. The time would come that all her memories would assault her mind, causing her to doubt, making her become scared, crying constantly; for right now she will only live in the present moment, it is extremely important that she does this. Right now, it felt like all of these horrible things had happened to someone else, she intended to take full advantage of this moment of peace. She didn't know if she was in some form of shock or not, and quite frankly she didn't care either. She only wanted to think about how wonderful her bath felt and how she was going to fill her stomach next, even though it was only going to be with jerky. Although she has been eating the same stuff for days, it never tasted as good as it was today. She twisted up her still damp hair around one of her poor pens which had escaped the destructive curiosity of their captors, exposing her collar burdened neck.

She was so lost in her happy universe that she didn't even notice the tense posture of her companion. As she had put her bathing items in her bag and had finally sat down to eat and drink, she did remark that Sesshomaru had yet to put his armor back on, still she thought nothing of it.

It was while she was happily chewing, that extremely delicious jerky, that she finally felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up on end. She glanced towards Sesshomaru only to see that he was staring at her intensely. She flushed and started to fidget when his golden eyes stayed on her. Now that she had touched down from the LaLa Land, that she had currently been in, she realized that she could feel the dangerous youki, of the Inu sitting deceptively calm in front of her, fluctuate and poke gently at her contained aura. If she didn't know any better, she would think that the youki was caressing her sensually and trying to coax her...into something. What was it trying to coax her into? It didn't make any sense.

"Um... Do you want some more?" She asked nervously, pointing to the piece of dry meat in her hands.

He shook his head slowly with measured movement, his eyes still intensely fixed on her. She cleared her throat before adding.

"O-ok. Let me know if you change your mind. There is still some in the bag." She almost squeaked out.

It was downright creepy, she didn't know how to react to her companion's sudden found interest in her; she just didn't understand his current behavior at all. Ignoring strange behavior of males worked most of the times with InuYasha. 'Just ignore what you don't understand or don't want to know and you will stay happy.' She thought.

If only she would follow her own advice more and refrain from following her hanyou friend, when he suddenly ups and leaves. It wasn't like she needed to see what he was doing, to know what he was doing or more importantly, with who. Since she had been able to better control her powers and their growth, she could feel HER presence as soon as she was around; painfully so. Ignorance would have truly been bliss in this case; however, she discovered that ignoring Sesshomaru was a much more difficult task to do.

Had she not been a human or if her night vision had been better, she would have understood his strange behavior. She would have remarked that Sesshomaru's eyes were getting darker and darker...and would have noticed the prominent bulge in his hakama that he didn't even make a move to hide...

She finished the last piece of meat she had pulled out and drank some of the water before placing everything back in her bag. She retrieved the blanket and placed it on the ground, using her dirty pajamas as some kind of pillow. She was going to try to sleep alone tonight. Sesshomaru was right; he wouldn't be there to hold her hand all the time, because she was too much of a chicken to fall asleep by herself. Well, not today. She will show him that she was stronger than that.

She was just turning to get comfortable, forgetting his presence when Sesshomaru pounced on her...literally.

Before she could understand what was happening, she had ended up on her back with the demon Lord hovering over her, looking intensely down at her.

"Se-Sesshomaru?" He was starting to really scare her. She didn't know what was wrong with him.

All of his senses were focused on her. He breathed in deeply, inhaling the rich scent of the miko under him, his eyes closed. When they slide open again, a tint of red covered them. Up this close, Kagome was finally able to see it. Her breath caught in her throat when, ever so slowly, he descended towards her. His nose bumped hers slowly, gently, his eyes still fixed on her wide opened orbs as if trying to interpret her reactions.

She didn't react, didn't even move. Hell, she was even afraid to breathe. She didn't understand what was happening. She could not grasp what was going on in the Demon Lord's head to make him act so... unSesshomaru-like.

It was then that he bent down the rest of the way and kissed her. 'Sesshomaru just kissed me!' The air froze in her lungs and she didn't dare move, her mind short-circuited, unable to process what was happening.

His eyes stayed open, fixed on her as he went for a second kiss, followed by an open mouth trail towards her neck. Balancing his weight on what was left of his left arm, while kissing and nipping her neck, his right hand slowly caressed her exposed leg slowly making its way up to the belt keeping her haori closed.

Slowly, with great dexterity using only one hand, Sesshomaru rose just enough to open her haori, exposing her soft skin to the humid air of the cave, without even stopping his ministrations on her neck. As soon as the humid air hit her skin, she immediately snapped out of her frozen trance.

Body tensing up, she fearfully asked, "S-Sesshomaru? What-what are you doing?"

She tried to push him away, after one last lick to her now pink and sensitive neck; Sesshomaru raised his head enough to look down at her.

Silence.

"What are you...?"

"Isn't it evident, Miko?" His voice was raw. His hand enclosed her breast through the haori, caressing slowly around her nipple making it hard.

She looked up at him with wide eyes, her heart beating wildly, almost painfully in her ribcage. He bent down to whisper hotly at her ear. "This Sesshomaru is trying to coax you into engaging in an illicit sexual affair with him."

"W-what?"

He started to lick and kiss her neck again as if he couldn't get enough of the taste of this particular spot. His hand slipped inside her haori to open it wide and touch her skin directly for the first time.

"You c-can't do that!" She said, blushing furiously.

"And why not, Miko?" He said, without stopping his ministrations. His hand glided on her stomach and cupped her through her underwear. Her breath hitched. "...when it's obviously evident that your body desires this Sesshomaru."

"That's not.. that..." She couldn't finish her sentence as she finally moaned.

"Why deny it, Miko? You are already getting wet at the prospect." He stated as he played with her clit.

"It's wrong." She answered breathlessly. Her hands 'fisting' his haori, not knowing if she was trying to push him away or closer. At a particular strong twist of his finger, she arced off the ground.

"Why would it be wrong? We are two adults seeking some companionship and pleasure for the night. Will you deny this Sesshomaru, Miko? Will you deny yourself?" He continued to play with her as he talked making it difficult for her to think.

"S-stop."

"Do you find this Sesshomaru unpleasing to the eye, Miko?"

She couldn't lie. "No."

"Or is it that you would prefer someone else in this one's current place?" He added in as an afterthought, a touch of cold tainting his voice.

She couldn't speak so she just shook her head, biting her lip; unconsciously, drawing his attention to her lips.

"What if my powers...?"

"That won't be a problem." One of his fingers bypassed her underwear and entered her slowly. She groaned with shamed when he showed her his finger.

"Your body is more than ready and willing to accept this Sesshomaru, Miko. Your powers won't be a problem at all." He finished, licking his finger while his intense hooded eyes stayed fixated on her, making her flush scarlet.

"I'm human."

"This Sesshomaru is aware. Even so..." He trailed off as he began grinding his obviously aroused phallus on her heated core.

He said it so casually; as if he was saying this kind of things everyday... it was mind blowing. He was sin made male and this God of Perfection wanted plain old her? In what strange universe did she fall into? He was looking at her with such intensity that without her accord, her body clenched in reaction.

He was hungry. Hungry for her taste, hungry for her touch, the feeling of her skin under his fingers, but the feeling seemed so uncontrollable, he willed his heart to slow down. He didn't want to frighten her; he wanted her but all she needed to do was to just say the word and, even if it would kill him, he would stop. She was an innocent and her body was so frailly human, he had to reign in his beastly instincts.

He forced himself to go slowly. He didn't want to scare her away before they even had the time to get started. His eyes fixated on her, to read her very expressions; his fingers wandered up her belly, circling her navel and continued their journey up. His fingers slid over her flesh, not stopping at any of the irregularities of her soft skin, caused by the scars, making her body all the more unique.

He traced the areola of her breast, the touch almost more a suggestion than real contact but it was enough to make her nipple erect, every nerve was electrified by his touch.

His lips fastened on the swollen nub, spreading this strange burning need through her belly. Taking his time to explore every curve, every angle of his partner's body; this wasn't in his nature but he couldn't help but marvel at every inch of her skin, which was revealed to his eyes alone. Oh, he had never left any of his past conquest unsatisfied, but the seduction and the lull to compliance of the senses had never been necessary before either. Though none of his previous partners had been 'squeamish' virgins; they had been more than ready to satisfy his every need, ready to please, probably in the hope to gain some kind of power over him.

Though this wasn't his first virgin either; he had been with several in his younger years, only later learning that the females got all the more clingy with their first partner, even when it had been established beforehand that it was just an one-time occurrence. He had since then avoided them; it was already complicated enough to get rid of the experienced females when finish, without adding juvenile foolish dreams on top of it.

But even as a virgin, youkai females just let their instincts guided them into action. This seemed to be something human females didn't have, or it was at least less effective, like all their other senses. If he were honest with himself, he would say that he was taking his time, as much for her as he was for himself as well. This would be his first, and last, time with a human after all, he had to make it count.

Plus, this wasn't just a simple rut with a faceless female. This was someone he looked at with high regard, now finally able to see the jewel hidden behind the crude coating of the humanity. No, she deserved better; she deserved for her first time to be unforgettable and he was more than ready to oblige.

He finally moved his attention to her other breast, giving it the same thoughtful attention. As his mouth was busy, so were his fingers, finally reaching her mount. His curious digits unfolded the petals of her sex gently and found it already moist. Mindful of his claws, the pad of his fingers softly caressed her quivering sensible skin. The pressure grew harder and his moves bolder, stroking against her swollen, eager nub. In the back of her mind, she pondered for a second about the disappearance of her underwear, she liked that pair. But two strokes later, the thought flew out of her mind completely.

He hadn't been lying. While her mind was having doubts, her body was all but screaming 'I'm yours, take me'. Having her at his mercy like this was empowering; his senses and ego were on overdrive.

Her body reared against his hand on its own accord, deciding to silence any residual doubt from her mind, fixated instead on how good Sesshomaru felt and how good it will feel soon. Her sexual curiosity was finally taking control; her fingers intertwined with his soft hair, clenching when his curious and overeager fingers brushing something deep in her. He continued to stroke over her damp core and swirled inside to find that button in her hot core, slick with her need. Her nails raked gently, sensually, on the base of his neck.

He let out an involuntary ragged breath. Pleasure coursed through him, that she was finally participating, fueled his need for her. It was undignified for someone of his stature to show such weakness in the arms of another but he was way past caring.

She was not ignorant to his reactions either, as the sounds made her back arch more firmly towards his awaiting mouth. She couldn't think straight anymore.

With one last lick on her succulent nipple, he fixed her with his fierce deep amber eyes as his finger plunged deep in her. She gasped and her hips bucked against his hand. He reveled at the feeling of her tender muscles clenching around him; it was time! He couldn't wait any longer.

Trembling with the need for control, because he did not want to scare or hurt her, he reached slowly for her thigh and spread her legs further apart to settle more firmly against her core. He then reached for his hakama to free himself. He couldn't wait to finally be within her.

His erection sprang to life, finally free from his constricting hakama. His penis was heavy and thick, pulsing with his wants. Her core clenched, as if desperate to feel this emptiness of hers to be filled, when he guided his oh so sensible head of his phallus to her entry and proceeded to coat it with her wetness.

As he pushed the head of his shaft into her body, Sesshomaru shuddered with pleasure. She was like a velvety soft silk wrapped tightly around his penis. He nearly lost control and embarrassed himself then and there.

He slid out slowly and, in the same breath, entered her with a deep stroked, ripping through her innocence with just a little resistance; it was better to make it quick.

He was filling her up, stretching her to the maximum; she whimpered in pain. He held very still, as they could feel the tell tale of her past virginity flowing from their joining.

He told her in her ear softly to breathe and relax, that the pain would pass. Kagome knew that she was lucky. Years of traipsing all over Japan and battles against Jewel shard power-infused youkai had probably thinned the barrier distinguishing her as still a girl, in spite of her womanly body; she was a girl no more.

Kagome was strangely touched when, even as his face stayed stoic, Sesshomaru bent down and gently licked her few unstoppable tears, of pain, away. She could feel her body slowly adjusting and accommodating to his size.

Finally sensing her muscles relaxing, he moved back, the feeling made Kagome shamefully whimper, before thrusting back in. Again and again and again; he began to move in her and she was lost to everything but the feeling of his engorged phallus invading her body, a hard fullness that brought a fierce friction of intense pleasure.

The little noises escaping her delicate throat was driving him mad. The pain seemed to have ebbed away because, as he thrust as deeply as he dared without risking her still adjusting body, she reflexively arched and moaned in response.

She looked at him, shocked by the feeling now spreading in her, the pain just a dull ache now; he flexed and grinded against her, extracting another mew of pleasure from her beautifully inviting throat.

He bent down to lick and nip at the skin of her neck that was exposed around the collar, damning its presence all the same. It was unfortunately baring him access to much of the succulent flesh there. As his mouth was occupied, his hips gyrated; sending sparks of incredible pleasure each time his pelvis grinded against her sensible clitoris.

Her arms embraced his body as close as possible and her legs went of their own accord around his waist, making her even more open to him, much to his delight. She was burning hotter and hotter, gripping him more tightly. He was thrusting faster now, reveling in the way her body trembled and clenched with pleasure, the way her breasts jiggled with each jarring thrust, her eyes glazing over. He kept building a rhythm that was more and more intense.

Kagome was now quavering beneath him, her mind drugged and lost in a fog of pure bliss, the pain all but forgotten.

Finding a comfortable position was difficult; making him curse the absence of his other arm. It was difficult for him to build a rhythm as he would like in his current position and keep his balance at the same time. But Kagome didn't notice his discomfort. To her deepening shock, with each stroke, he seemed to reach deeper and deeper in her, inch by inch. Discomfort danced with her mounting sensuous hunger.

Why didn't she want to do this again? She couldn't remember.

Her trembling hands slipped inside his opened haori, realizing that, while she was completely naked, he was mostly still clothed. She was craving to feel his skin against her heated body. After a couple of feeble attempts, the barrier between their bodies finally fell away; Sesshomaru paused only for a second, in his still too slow and torturous thrusts for her taste, to help her.

He raised just enough to get rid of the offending silken-haori and in this instant, their eyes met. It was then that she felt her powers rise in response at the growing and spreading aura of Sesshomaru. His red gaze stayed intently on her, a deep contrast to the tumultuous show of his restored powers. She stiffened and waited, frightened of the shock from her collar in response to either Sesshomaru's powers or for their powers to collide violently one.

To her surprise, nothing happened. Her aura pulsed in concert with their moving bodies, answering the call of Sesshomaru's youki and growing with each passing second. It only heightened their pleasure.

Her fingers dug into the smooth flesh of his back, trying to find a better leverage to answer each of his strokes, now getting deeper and harder. He was pounding into her with a bruising force now, but she just reveled in the fact that SHE was responsible for making Sesshomaru lose control.

The fullness was agonizing but she just wanted, no NEEDED, more; desperate for him to drive deeper, faster, again and again.

He was loosing control. He knew it and it frightened him but at the same time, he could care less. It had never been like this before; his youki answering to his coming orgasm. His claws and fangs lengthened with his mounting pleasure.

With the last string of his slipping control, he drove his claws in the ground just beside her head and his fangs in his bottom lip. He would not risk biting or hurting her.

A torrent of sensation spread throughout her body. She exploded in a spasm of immense pleasure, every muscle and nerve turned asunder. And when she thought that nothing could feel better, Sesshomaru came. Wave after wave of his semen exploded in her, hot and warm, filling her to the limit and sending her body into another mind-blowing orgasm. She absentmindedly heard his groan of pleasure close to her ear as she screamed her release.

Their auras which had built with each stroke finally exploded in a multitude of blinding lights, rendering them both unconscious...

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That's it for now.

Just two chapters to go before the end of the first part!


	29. Chapter 29 : the morning after

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

Thanks to my beta, Pandora.

warning: just some "sensible" details at the beginning of this chapter. Not for kids.

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Chapter 29

the morning after

...

They had both passed out; Sesshomaru, the first to come around, and realized it. He was still in her, as he could feel the warm feeling around a part of his previously flaccid organ, that hadn't slipped out during the night, but he didn't feel like moving right now and awaken her. Sesshomaru rose just enough to pull out of her and to be able to look down to her, shamelessly observing her exposed body as she slept. He felt himself hardening at the arousing view.

After a moment, not wanting to succumb to the temptation of diving into her anew, he finally rose.

He couldn't remember much of the details at the end, besides the blinding pleasure he had felt. He had never blackout before; it was a first. Not even his first time had things been that intense or uncontrollable for him. He couldn't remember ever having an orgasm that strong in all his long life. And the light show of their combined powers was truly a puzzling affair.  
It was rather worrisome since it was with a human, but at the same time, it had been a long time since his last rut; long years of frustration having accumulated.

Surmising it had probably been too long since his last because of the fact that he did loose control; plus, she was a miko, also a first for him. Their normally antagonist powers had merged in a torrent of lights. Well, it was a good thing her aura seemed to accept him because, as much as the sex had been good, he was all the more glad that he hadn't been toasted on the spot. There were very few examples of successful coupling between youkai and miko to know if what had happened was normal. Nevertheless, they were alive and well so it was not urgently important to know. Satisfied for now with this possible explanation, he left her to sleep and went to wash himself up.

From his placement in the hot spring, his eyes couldn't help but to be drawn to her softly snoring form.

In the past, he had sworn to himself that he would never be like his father and yet... he just had his first sexual experience with a human, a miko at that.

He would like to be able to will his body and mind to regret stepping on this particular line and let his instincts guide him but, quite frankly, he couldn't. He couldn't remember ever feeling this calm and relax in such a long time; if ever!

The best thing to do would be to destroy any and all evidence of his faux-pas but the idea was dismissed as soon as it entered his mind. He couldn't do it before; he certainly wouldn't do it now.

He climbed out of the hot spring and got dressed, still observing her sleeping form, pondering over his actions and what options he had. No, she will live; plus, they have a pact: nothing of what happened in this cave will exit this cave. And he was pretty sure that she will keep her word and won't say a thing to anyone. It will just be another secret between them is all; a delicious one at that.

Sesshomaru sat down not far from her, and waited. Already, he could hear the tell-tale sound of her beating heart accelerating, signaling her upcoming awakened stage. He didn't know what kind of reaction to expect from the unpredictable woman, after all of what they had shared…

…

Slowly, Kagome's eyes slid open. She felt tired, but she supposed that it was to be expected after so much walking when she had stayed unmoving for days in that cursed cell.  
Still, she was confused about the areas she was the sorest at. Delicately, she rose and her first reflex, as it had been since her capture, was to look around to spot the Demon Lord. However as soon as her eyes encountered his, flashes of what happened the night before rushed through her mind.

'Oh. God!'

She immediately glanced away, covering herself while flushing furiously, but not quick enough to have missed seeing the smirk on his lips at her reaction.

'I had sex with Sesshomaru.' She started to hyperventilate. SHE had SEX with SESSHOMARU! How the hell did that happen? Well, she had vivid images of how it had happened dancing around in her head, making her blush even more.

She rose with as much dignity as she could; avoiding eye contact at all cost, and went to clean up the consequences of their activities from last night. She then realized that she was even sorer than she thought and had difficulties in walking, furthering her mortification.

It would have been probably even worse for her ego if she had turned and seen that Sesshomaru was grinning to himself at her difficulties to walk properly.

She had to think of the consequences and took advantage of her time cleaning in the hot spring to do just that. She knew that it probably meant nothing. He told her himself; they were just two adults needing some company for the night after a long and painful ordeal. She was a 21st century girl, where casual sex occurred more often than here or at least less hidden like a dirty secret. But still, it was her virginity she had given to him!

She held her breath and waited for the feelings of shame or regrets to submerge her, but it never came. She didn't regret succumbing to his wicked seduction, she was flattered even. The most beautiful male she had ever gazed upon had found her desirable. After years of neglect and abuse by InuYasha, it was a really welcomed change. A flash of panic went through her, freezing her hands in her movement of cleaning the dry blood and others fluids she couldn't even think about without blushing to the roots of her hair, at her hanyou friend's name.

But her inquietude in the reaction of InuYasha at what had transpired between Sesshomaru and her were washed away immediately. She was not ashamed of what happened but nothing obliged her to tell InuYasha anything. It wasn't like he had any rights to comment on who she decided to give her virginity to. If she was honest, Sesshomaru was probably the only man she knew right now that she could have given her precious gift to and not regret. She was attracted to him of course, like any red-blooded woman surely was, she liked him too but more importantly, she trusted him. She was at ease when she was around him, even when he was cold and ignored her.

Of course she blushed, quite often might she add, in his presence like she did in the past with InuYasha but something was different. If it had been InuYasha in Sesshomaru's place last night, she would have probably fought to the end to make him stop. When he asked her if she would have preferred someone else in his place, it was then that she realized that the response was no. She then realized that she wanted this too but was trying to stop him, not because she didn't want his attention, but because she was afraid HE would regret it. It was stupid, Sesshomaru doesn't do anything that he doesn't want to and never had any regrets; he told her so himself.

She went back awkwardly to Sesshomaru and saw that he was standing, waiting for her. He had even put her things back in her backpack for her and the gesture touched her more than she dared to admit.

When it became evident that she was unable to continue the exploration behind the soreness between her legs, Sesshomaru effortlessly took her in his arm and shouldered her bag, announcing that since he was responsible for her ...unease, he was honor bound to carry her.

Kagome had to scoff at that. The guy just looked a bit too proud of himself about the fact, however, the fact that he was even remotely proud to have slept with her, was too mind blowing and touching for her to protest.

…

A few hours after their last break, Sesshomaru froze in mid-step.

"What is it?" Looking up blindly where his face should be. It was completely dark.

He only said, "Fresh air" and continued, now walking quicker. Kagome's heart leaped for joy at the idea of finally being out of those caves and to feel the sun on her face finally.

Sure enough, after a few long minutes of trepidation, it became possible for Kagome to see. However, after so long in the dark, her eyes were quite painful and she had to close them tightly, hiding her face in the Demon Lord's neck. Sesshomaru didn't even pause at the entry and immediately summoned his cloud, now that he was out and his youki was fully replenished.

…

They touched down in the middle of a clearing, jolting Kagome awake, not realizing that she had even fallen back asleep in his arms. She looked around confused at what they were doing there. She had tried to ask Sesshomaru why he had just taken to the sky after exiting the cave with apparently a goal in mind but he refused to answer and just ignored her. To be honest, she hadn't insisted that much and enjoyed the close proximity with the Demon Lord while she still could. She knew that she was supposed to go back to InuYasha and her group but every additional minute passed with Sesshomaru was precious, which was why she was almost cursing herself mentally for falling asleep.

The Demon Lord let her slide against him slowing until her feet touched the ground, handling her like she was breakable. She was about to thank him when she felt Sesshomaru flared his youki without warning. She had to react quickly and took a hold of her powers so they would not flare in response to Sesshomaru.

Before she could berate him for almost causing her pain, she saw something in the corner of her eyes. She turned her head and gasped. There, in front of them, the air was moving…

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one chapter to go! yay!

thank you for your support.


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